Kayla Harrison, Olympic gold medalist and two-time MMA champion, confirmed her loyalty to the Professional Fighters League by inking a new multi-year deal with the promotion. PFL made the news official on their social media on Tuesday.

Harrison was one of the hottest free agents in MMA in recent memory, attracting interest from PFL, Bellator, and UFC. Reportedly, Bellator had the best offer on the table, and many believed they would end up adding the 31-year-old to their roster. However, PFL decided to exercise their option to match any offer and keep Harrison as part of the Professional Fighters League for years to come.

Sources from the industry say that UFC would have liked to add Harrison, but the price was too steep. It is believed that they pulled out early in the sweepstakes after realizing their offer was significantly weaker.

Kayla Harrison represented the United States between 2009 and 2016 in judo. She won two Olympic gold medals in the 78kg division and has one World Championship gold on her resume. Harrison officially retired in 2016 in order to focus on mixed martial arts.

Harrison made her MMA debut in 2018 with PFL, recording a win over Brittney Elkin via submission. Since then, she has recorded 11 more wins and remains undefeated. In addition, she won the PFL Women’s Lightweight Tournament in 2019 and 2021.

The post Kayla Harrison Commits to Professional Fighters League with a Multi-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

A legend of mixed martial arts has decided to call it a career after a successful and distinguished career.

Georges St-Pierre is set to announce his retirement from the sport in a press conference on Thursday.

The Quebec native leaves behind one of the greatest legacies and careers of any fighter in the history of mixed martial arts.

St-Pierre, who is now 37 years old, began his MMA career back in 2002. He became affiliated with the UFC brand shortly after in 2003, where he developed into one of the league’s most decorated fighters of all time.

St-Pierre fought in the welterweight division for the majority of his career. He was crowned the champion of this MMA division three times in his career in a period from 2006 to 2008.

St-Pierre had an especially significant career because he also became champion of the middleweight division after taking down Michael Bispig at UFC 217 in November 2017, his last fight.

He will retire as the most successful Canadian in the history of the sport and as one of the most unique and special fighters of all time.

St-Pierre retires with a career record of 26-2.

The post Georges St-Pierre Retires from UFC appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Daniel Cormier choked out Derrick Lewis in the second round of their heavyweight championship at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night to retain the title 22-1.

Cormier became the first UFC player to defend titles in two weight classes, first in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. Cormier roughed Lewis, took him down and locked him in a choke to force a submission halfway through the second round.

While Lewis threw a few punches at the defending champion, Cormier hardly took any damage. Instead, he wore out the 33-year-old by playing defense before bringing him down to force a choke. Saturday’s win was Cormier third victory in a row.

Earlier on, Cormier said he was planning to retire before his 40^th birthday in March next year and wants his final match to be against WWE and former heavyweight champion Brock Lesner. The WWE wrestler is a giant of a man and a match with an equally large fighter is set to be big news for UFC.

While touting Lesner for a match, Cormier said,

“Brock Lesner, when you come, bring that brand new WWE title because I feel like being the WWE champion, too.”

The 39-year-old was also quick to praise Lewis on Saturday but made it clear that the 33-year-old was not yet in Cormier’s level.

“I come in here and try to do my thing,” Cormier said. “If you have to be one of the best in the world to even compete. Derrick is good, but just not that level yet.”

The post Daniel Cormier Chokes out Derrick Lewis to Retain UFC Heavyweight Title appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Khabib Nurmagomdedov has revealed that negotiations are currently underway over a possible fight against Conor McGregor.

McGregor has not fought since his professional boxing defeat against Floyd Mayweather in August last year and the world is currently waiting for the Irishman to announce who his next opponent will be.

He has been linked with a possible rematch against Mayweather (this time under MMA rules) as well as a possible third fight against Nate Diaz.

“We’re talking, but if it takes too long, I don’t want to do that,” the new UFC lightweight champion said during a Q&A in Russia when asked about a fight with McGregor.

“If he wants to fight this year, then we can fight. Otherwise, I don’t know. We won’t wait long. I want to fight Conor and if he can fight, I will fight him.”

Meanwhile, former UFC light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier believes that Floyd Mayweather would not stand a chance if he does end up fighting McGregor in the Octagon.

“Any MMA fighter would beat Floyd in a full-on MMA fight,” Cormier told The Herd. “When you starting kicking guys, they turn.

“Floyd would probably fall down from leg kicks.”

The post Conor McGregor fight negotiations revealed appeared first on SportzBonanza.

From rags to riches, poverty to wealthy, living on the street to living in mansions – there’s perhaps no story more motivational. Seeing regular, everyday people will themselves from a life of hardship to a life of luxury is inspiring as well as a slap in the face that it’s possible for all of us.

Sometimes the origin stories of today’s rich and famous can surprise us as we might have thought that they were always rich, but that’s often not the case. Take Conor McGregor for example…

Wikipedia

The Rise Of Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is one of the biggest personalities in all of sports. He talks a big game, and he completely delivers. McGregor holds two UFC belts at the same time which is a first in the sport. He’s also broken UFC’s pay-per-view record twice in the same year, 2016. His fame and fortune are only set to increase, as he’s scheduled to fight Floyd Mayweather in a huge, unprecedented match on August 26, 2017. This fight is the talk of the town and will bring some enormous numbers into McGregor’s bank account.

So, what’s McGregor’s story?

His explosion onto the scene with UFC is one of the most remarkable stories in the history of mixed martial arts, and it goes back to when he was just a 24-year-old kid, totally broke and living in his parents’ house. At the time, he was a two-division champion that fought in a UK organization called the Cage Warriors. He was set to debut for UFC in 2013. His comments before his first UFC first really illuminate what his situation was.

”Just last week I was collecting the social welfare,” McGregor told reports after winning his first UFC fight and TKO’ing Marcus Brimage. “I was in there saying to them, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m signed to the UFC. I don’t know. Blah, blah, blah.’ Now I suppose I’m just going to have to tell them, [expletive] off.”

Since His First UFC Win

Ever since winning his first UFC fight, his fighting style and charismatic personality have taken him far in the world of mixed martial arts. He’s now quite possibly the biggest star that the sport has ever witnessed.

“This is a $40 million year for me,” McGregor said last year.

McGregor’s parents wanted him to be a plumber at one point, and his father was very disappointed when McGregor decided to quit and follow his dreams of being a mixed martial arts athlete. Turns out, that might have been the smartest decision McGregor could have ever made! He trusted in himself and believed in his future so much that it was worth taking a perceived risk to pursue his passion.

Instagram

McGregor’s fight with Mayweather in August is set to earn him at least $100 million, and that merely scratches the surface of McGregor’s income. He’s worked hard at developing his brand which sells huge amounts of merchandise and earns him promo spots for big companies.

The Moral Of The Story

In the end, it seems that as tried and true as the words “follow your dreams” might be, advice like that helped McGregor to go from a life of poverty to being one of the richest men in sports. We’re not encouraging anyone to quit their day job, but perhaps a dream doesn’t just have to be a dream. Use Conor McGregor’s example of hard work and dedication as motivation to make your own dreams a reality!

Don’t forget to share this inspiring story on Facebook, and let us know what you think of Conor McGregor’s journey in the comments!

The post UFCs Biggest Fighter Used To Be On Welfare And Living With His Parents appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Since 2011, Ronda Rousey has been one of the most dominant female MMA fighters the sport has ever seen. Her 12-0 undefeated streak earned her accolades from ESPN, Google, and Sherdog. Outside of the ring, she ascended onto the mainstream with acting roles in The Expendables 3 and Furious 7.

But now that Rousey’s career seems to have drifted into legend after a harsh defeat and aborted comeback, there are others waiting for their time to take the spotlight. We take a look a five rising female MMA athletes that could become the next Rowdy!

Angela Lee

Angela Lee’s Instagram

Nicknamed “Unstoppable,” Canadian-born Angela Lee has put the entire MMA world on notice with her athleticism. Marital arts is in her blood; her parents are both martial artists, and her brother Christian Lee is a MMA fighter. In 2015, she won the coveted Newcomer of the Year award from the WMMA Press Association. At the age of 19, she became the youngest person to hold a MMA title when she defeated Mei Yamaguchi for the ONE Women’s Atomweight title.

Mackenzie Dern

Mackenzie Dern’s Instagram

When it comes to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mackenzie Dern is no joke. The Arizona native is ranked as the top female black belt in the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It also doesn’t hurt having iconic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Megaton Dias as her father. After gaining gold medals in the Nogi World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, she made her MMA debut in 2016 with a victory over Kenia Rosas.

Danyelle Nicole Wolf

Danyelle Wolf’s Instagram

As the top-ranked female boxer in the United States, Danyelle Nicole Wolf has seen her share of tough opponents. With appearances at the Olympics, the Wrightsville, Pennsylvania native wanted to do something in her career. In 2016, she announced plans to join the MMA scene. She started training in Tiger Muay Thai with World Series of Fighting’s Jake Heun. Her MMA debut will be coming as soon as you know it, and every single female will be watching closely to her every move.

Tiffany “Timebomb” Van Soest

Tiffany Van Soest’s Instagram

At the age of eight, Tiffany “Timebomb” Van Soest got involved in Shōrin-ryū karate. Her love for fighting evolved, and by the time she was 18, she was already winning championships. She kicked off her professional kickboxing career in 2011 with a win over Lena Ovchynnikova. After winning several belts, she made her MMA debut in September 2016 with a loss to Kal Holliday by submission. Nearly eight months later, Tiffany managed to bounce back with a win against Christine Ferea.

Irene Aldana

Irene Aldana’s Instagram

Competing in the Bantamweight division, Irene Aldana has been one of the most exhilarating fighters in the ring. During her time with Invicta FC, she managed to pull of two submission victories and two TKO victories. In 2016, she signed with UFC, and made her debut against Leslie Smith, which resulted in a loss. While she currently holds two back to back losses in UFC, the Mexican fighter is looking to come back stronger to became a massive threat in the division.

The post Five Explosive Female MMA Stars Not Named Ronda Rousey appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Kayla Harrison, Olympic gold medalist and two-time MMA champion, confirmed her loyalty to the Professional Fighters League by inking a new multi-year deal with the promotion. PFL made the news official on their social media on Tuesday.

Harrison was one of the hottest free agents in MMA in recent memory, attracting interest from PFL, Bellator, and UFC. Reportedly, Bellator had the best offer on the table, and many believed they would end up adding the 31-year-old to their roster. However, PFL decided to exercise their option to match any offer and keep Harrison as part of the Professional Fighters League for years to come.

Sources from the industry say that UFC would have liked to add Harrison, but the price was too steep. It is believed that they pulled out early in the sweepstakes after realizing their offer was significantly weaker.

Kayla Harrison represented the United States between 2009 and 2016 in judo. She won two Olympic gold medals in the 78kg division and has one World Championship gold on her resume. Harrison officially retired in 2016 in order to focus on mixed martial arts.

Harrison made her MMA debut in 2018 with PFL, recording a win over Brittney Elkin via submission. Since then, she has recorded 11 more wins and remains undefeated. In addition, she won the PFL Women’s Lightweight Tournament in 2019 and 2021.

The post Kayla Harrison Commits to Professional Fighters League with a Multi-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

A legend of mixed martial arts has decided to call it a career after a successful and distinguished career.

Georges St-Pierre is set to announce his retirement from the sport in a press conference on Thursday.

The Quebec native leaves behind one of the greatest legacies and careers of any fighter in the history of mixed martial arts.

St-Pierre, who is now 37 years old, began his MMA career back in 2002. He became affiliated with the UFC brand shortly after in 2003, where he developed into one of the league’s most decorated fighters of all time.

St-Pierre fought in the welterweight division for the majority of his career. He was crowned the champion of this MMA division three times in his career in a period from 2006 to 2008.

St-Pierre had an especially significant career because he also became champion of the middleweight division after taking down Michael Bispig at UFC 217 in November 2017, his last fight.

He will retire as the most successful Canadian in the history of the sport and as one of the most unique and special fighters of all time.

St-Pierre retires with a career record of 26-2.

The post Georges St-Pierre Retires from UFC appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Daniel Cormier choked out Derrick Lewis in the second round of their heavyweight championship at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night to retain the title 22-1.

Cormier became the first UFC player to defend titles in two weight classes, first in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. Cormier roughed Lewis, took him down and locked him in a choke to force a submission halfway through the second round.

While Lewis threw a few punches at the defending champion, Cormier hardly took any damage. Instead, he wore out the 33-year-old by playing defense before bringing him down to force a choke. Saturday’s win was Cormier third victory in a row.

Earlier on, Cormier said he was planning to retire before his 40^th birthday in March next year and wants his final match to be against WWE and former heavyweight champion Brock Lesner. The WWE wrestler is a giant of a man and a match with an equally large fighter is set to be big news for UFC.

While touting Lesner for a match, Cormier said,

“Brock Lesner, when you come, bring that brand new WWE title because I feel like being the WWE champion, too.”

The 39-year-old was also quick to praise Lewis on Saturday but made it clear that the 33-year-old was not yet in Cormier’s level.

“I come in here and try to do my thing,” Cormier said. “If you have to be one of the best in the world to even compete. Derrick is good, but just not that level yet.”

The post Daniel Cormier Chokes out Derrick Lewis to Retain UFC Heavyweight Title appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Khabib Nurmagomdedov has revealed that negotiations are currently underway over a possible fight against Conor McGregor.

McGregor has not fought since his professional boxing defeat against Floyd Mayweather in August last year and the world is currently waiting for the Irishman to announce who his next opponent will be.

He has been linked with a possible rematch against Mayweather (this time under MMA rules) as well as a possible third fight against Nate Diaz.

“We’re talking, but if it takes too long, I don’t want to do that,” the new UFC lightweight champion said during a Q&A in Russia when asked about a fight with McGregor.

“If he wants to fight this year, then we can fight. Otherwise, I don’t know. We won’t wait long. I want to fight Conor and if he can fight, I will fight him.”

Meanwhile, former UFC light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier believes that Floyd Mayweather would not stand a chance if he does end up fighting McGregor in the Octagon.

“Any MMA fighter would beat Floyd in a full-on MMA fight,” Cormier told The Herd. “When you starting kicking guys, they turn.

“Floyd would probably fall down from leg kicks.”

The post Conor McGregor fight negotiations revealed appeared first on SportzBonanza.

From rags to riches, poverty to wealthy, living on the street to living in mansions – there’s perhaps no story more motivational. Seeing regular, everyday people will themselves from a life of hardship to a life of luxury is inspiring as well as a slap in the face that it’s possible for all of us.

Sometimes the origin stories of today’s rich and famous can surprise us as we might have thought that they were always rich, but that’s often not the case. Take Conor McGregor for example…

Wikipedia

The Rise Of Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is one of the biggest personalities in all of sports. He talks a big game, and he completely delivers. McGregor holds two UFC belts at the same time which is a first in the sport. He’s also broken UFC’s pay-per-view record twice in the same year, 2016. His fame and fortune are only set to increase, as he’s scheduled to fight Floyd Mayweather in a huge, unprecedented match on August 26, 2017. This fight is the talk of the town and will bring some enormous numbers into McGregor’s bank account.

So, what’s McGregor’s story?

His explosion onto the scene with UFC is one of the most remarkable stories in the history of mixed martial arts, and it goes back to when he was just a 24-year-old kid, totally broke and living in his parents’ house. At the time, he was a two-division champion that fought in a UK organization called the Cage Warriors. He was set to debut for UFC in 2013. His comments before his first UFC first really illuminate what his situation was.

”Just last week I was collecting the social welfare,” McGregor told reports after winning his first UFC fight and TKO’ing Marcus Brimage. “I was in there saying to them, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m signed to the UFC. I don’t know. Blah, blah, blah.’ Now I suppose I’m just going to have to tell them, [expletive] off.”

Since His First UFC Win

Ever since winning his first UFC fight, his fighting style and charismatic personality have taken him far in the world of mixed martial arts. He’s now quite possibly the biggest star that the sport has ever witnessed.

“This is a $40 million year for me,” McGregor said last year.

McGregor’s parents wanted him to be a plumber at one point, and his father was very disappointed when McGregor decided to quit and follow his dreams of being a mixed martial arts athlete. Turns out, that might have been the smartest decision McGregor could have ever made! He trusted in himself and believed in his future so much that it was worth taking a perceived risk to pursue his passion.

Instagram

McGregor’s fight with Mayweather in August is set to earn him at least $100 million, and that merely scratches the surface of McGregor’s income. He’s worked hard at developing his brand which sells huge amounts of merchandise and earns him promo spots for big companies.

The Moral Of The Story

In the end, it seems that as tried and true as the words “follow your dreams” might be, advice like that helped McGregor to go from a life of poverty to being one of the richest men in sports. We’re not encouraging anyone to quit their day job, but perhaps a dream doesn’t just have to be a dream. Use Conor McGregor’s example of hard work and dedication as motivation to make your own dreams a reality!

Don’t forget to share this inspiring story on Facebook, and let us know what you think of Conor McGregor’s journey in the comments!

The post UFCs Biggest Fighter Used To Be On Welfare And Living With His Parents appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Since 2011, Ronda Rousey has been one of the most dominant female MMA fighters the sport has ever seen. Her 12-0 undefeated streak earned her accolades from ESPN, Google, and Sherdog. Outside of the ring, she ascended onto the mainstream with acting roles in The Expendables 3 and Furious 7.

But now that Rousey’s career seems to have drifted into legend after a harsh defeat and aborted comeback, there are others waiting for their time to take the spotlight. We take a look a five rising female MMA athletes that could become the next Rowdy!

Angela Lee

Angela Lee’s Instagram

Nicknamed “Unstoppable,” Canadian-born Angela Lee has put the entire MMA world on notice with her athleticism. Marital arts is in her blood; her parents are both martial artists, and her brother Christian Lee is a MMA fighter. In 2015, she won the coveted Newcomer of the Year award from the WMMA Press Association. At the age of 19, she became the youngest person to hold a MMA title when she defeated Mei Yamaguchi for the ONE Women’s Atomweight title.

Mackenzie Dern

Mackenzie Dern’s Instagram

When it comes to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mackenzie Dern is no joke. The Arizona native is ranked as the top female black belt in the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It also doesn’t hurt having iconic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Megaton Dias as her father. After gaining gold medals in the Nogi World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, she made her MMA debut in 2016 with a victory over Kenia Rosas.

Danyelle Nicole Wolf

Danyelle Wolf’s Instagram

As the top-ranked female boxer in the United States, Danyelle Nicole Wolf has seen her share of tough opponents. With appearances at the Olympics, the Wrightsville, Pennsylvania native wanted to do something in her career. In 2016, she announced plans to join the MMA scene. She started training in Tiger Muay Thai with World Series of Fighting’s Jake Heun. Her MMA debut will be coming as soon as you know it, and every single female will be watching closely to her every move.

Tiffany “Timebomb” Van Soest

Tiffany Van Soest’s Instagram

At the age of eight, Tiffany “Timebomb” Van Soest got involved in Shōrin-ryū karate. Her love for fighting evolved, and by the time she was 18, she was already winning championships. She kicked off her professional kickboxing career in 2011 with a win over Lena Ovchynnikova. After winning several belts, she made her MMA debut in September 2016 with a loss to Kal Holliday by submission. Nearly eight months later, Tiffany managed to bounce back with a win against Christine Ferea.

Irene Aldana

Irene Aldana’s Instagram

Competing in the Bantamweight division, Irene Aldana has been one of the most exhilarating fighters in the ring. During her time with Invicta FC, she managed to pull of two submission victories and two TKO victories. In 2016, she signed with UFC, and made her debut against Leslie Smith, which resulted in a loss. While she currently holds two back to back losses in UFC, the Mexican fighter is looking to come back stronger to became a massive threat in the division.

The post Five Explosive Female MMA Stars Not Named Ronda Rousey appeared first on SportzBonanza.