SHERDOG ARCHIVES: Articles - December 2024

SHERDOG ARTICLES DECEMBER 2024

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Sherdog’s 2024 Submission of the Year Khamzat Chimaev propelled himself into a likely title shot—and his opponent to the dentist—with his crushing face crank of Robert Whittaker...

Dec 23, 2024

Sherdog’s 2024 Knockout of the Year In the last second of the last round of his remarkable “Fight of the Year” with Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, Max Holloway unleashed a nuclear...

Dec 22, 2024

By The Numbers: Alexandre Pantoja The reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight titleholder will carry a seven-fight winning streak into his 2025 campaign, where...

UFC

Dec 22, 2024

Sherdog’s 2024 Entrance of the Year Artur Szpilka’s flair for the dramatic reached new heights when he walked out for KSW 94 on May 11 in Gdansk, Poland.

KSW

Dec 22, 2024

Sherdog’s 2024 Robbery of the Year Carlos Leal Miranda appeared to have a victory over Rinat Fakhretdinov in hand at UFC 308 on Oct. 26. Then the judges got involved.

Year-End Awards

Dec 21, 2024

By The Numbers: Ilia Topuria The undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight titleholder has rattled off 16 consecutive wins to start his career, 14 of them finishes.

UFC

Dec 21, 2024

How to Watch Usyk vs. Fury 2 Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBA, WBO and WBC heavyweight championships in a rematch with Tyson Fury on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

Boxing

Dec 20, 2024

Sherdog’s 2024 Round of the Year Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber engaged in an unforgettable final five minutes of hand-to-hand combat at UFC 306 on Sept. 14.

Year-End Awards

Dec 20, 2024

Sherdog’s 2024 Fight of the Year Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje locked horns in a UFC 300 lightweight showdown for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s symbolic BMF title on...

Year-End Awards

Dec 20, 2024

Sherdog’s 2024 Comeback Fighter of the Year Released by the UFC two years ago on a four-fight winless skid, Youssef Zalal made a triumphant return to the promotion in 2024 and notched...

Dec 19, 2024

PFL’s New King of the Lightweight Jungle Fresh from his title win at the PFL 2024 World Championship, new lightweight king Gadzhi Rabadanov talked about his road less traveled to the...

Professional Fighters League

Dec 19, 2024

Opinion: Is the UFC Stacking the Deck against Merab Dvalishvili? Given some of the available evidence and the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s past history, Sherdog columnist Dayne Fox wonders if the...

UFC

Dec 19, 2024

Sherdog’s 2024 Story of the Year The gravitational pull of former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Conor McGregor was simply too strong to ignore.

Tristen Critchfield

Dec 19, 2024

How to Watch KSW 101 Salahdine Parnasse will put his Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki lightweight championship on the line when he meets Wilson Varela in the main event on...

KSW

Dec 19, 2024

Sherdog’s 2024 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year Saddled with all the pressure and expectations of having been anointed Professional Fighters League’s new poster girl, Dakota Ditcheva...

Dec 18, 2024

Opinion: 5 Boxers Who Could Smoothly Transition to MMA Sherdog columnist J.L. Kirven weighs in on those fighters he believes to be best equipped to move from the Sweet Science to the cage.

Boxing

Dec 18, 2024

Top Reasons to Catch KSW 101 Two-division champion Salahdine Parnasse will put his lightweight crown on the line when he faces Wilson Varela in the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki...

KSW

Dec 18, 2024

Sherdog’s 2024 Fighter of the Year Ilia Topuria made two extraordinary appearances during the calendar year, as he punched out Alexander Volkanovski to become the fifth undisputed featherweight champion in UFC history, then retained the title...

Dec 18, 2024

The Hit List: Undefeated Fighters in the UFC Umar Nurmagomedov will carry a perfect 18-0 record into his bid for the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title at UFC 311...

UFC

Dec 17, 2024

Matches to Make After UFC Tampa Joaquin Buckley was simply too much for Colby Covington to handle.

UFC

Tristen Critchfield

Dec 15, 2024

Pictures: 2024 PFL Europe Finals Four new champions were crowned Saturday at Professional Fighters League's PFL Europe 2024 Finals.

Professional Fighters League

Sherdog.com Staff

Dec 14, 2024

Pictures: UFC Tampa The Ultimate Fighting Championship closed 2024 with UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa.

UFC

Sherdog.com Staff

Dec 14, 2024

Pictures: Invicta FC 59 Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Jennifer Maia became the first in Invicta Fighting Championships history to simultaneously hold two...

Women’s MMA

Dec 14, 2024

How to Watch UFC Tampa The Ultimate Fighting Championship will put the finishing touches on its 2024 schedule with a welterweight main event pitting Colby Covington against...

UFC

Dec 13, 2024

How to Watch PFL Europe 2024 Finals The Professional Fighters League will shut down its overseas talent mining operation for the year on Saturday in Lyon, France.

Professional Fighters League

Dec 13, 2024

By The Numbers: UFC Tampa Pre-Fight Edition Welterweight lightning rod Colby Covington on Saturday will return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship stage for the first time in nearly a year when he matches wits and fists with...

UFC

Dec 13, 2024

5 Things You Might Not Know About Abdoul Abdouraguimov “The Lazy King” will look to continue his climb on the Professional Fighters League ladder when he faces Laureano Staropoli in the PFL Europe...

Professional Fighters League

Dec 13, 2024

5 Defining Moments: Adrian Yanez The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate will once again have his work cut out for him when he meets the undefeated Daniel Marcos in an intriguing...

UFC

Dec 12, 2024

Preview: UFC on ESPN 63 ‘Covington vs. Buckley’ Welterweights lock horns in the final Ultimate Fighting Championship main event of 2024, as Colby Covington faces Joaquin Buckley on Saturday in...

UFC

Dec 12, 2024

By The Numbers: Abdoul Abdouraguimov vs. Laureano Staropoli The welterweights will toe the line against one another in the PFL Europe 2024 Finals headliner on Saturday in France.

Professional Fighters League

Dec 12, 2024

Opinion: Please, Anyone but Colby Covington The polarizing UFC on ESPN 63 headliner should have already exhausted all of his opportunities as a welterweight title contender, writes Dayne Fox.

UFC

Dec 12, 2024

Preview: PFL Europe 2024 Finals The Professional Fighters League closes out its latest campaign with four tournament championships on Saturday in France.

Fight Odds

Dec 11, 2024

Pictures: 2024 PFL Europe Finals Face-Offs PFL Europe 2024 Finals headliners Abdoul Abdouraguimov and Laureano Staropoli stood face-to-face outside LDLC Arena in Lyon, France, site of...

Professional Fighters League

Sherdog.com Staff

Dec 11, 2024

Preview: UFC on ESPN 63 Prelims Lightweights Michael Johnson and Ottman Azaitar anchor the Ultimate Fighting Championship undercard on Saturday in Tampa, Florida.

UFC

Dec 11, 2024

Bruno Silva: ‘I’m Living My Dream Now’ The 34-year-old Brazilian will look to establish himself as a legitimate flyweight contender when he faces former Rizin Fighting Federation titleholder Manel Kape in a featured...

UFC

Christian Stein

Dec 11, 2024

Top Reasons to Catch PFL 2024 Europe Finals The Professional Fighters League will tie a bow on its latest season when it crowns its third set of champions in a calendar year on Saturday in...

Professional Fighters League

Dec 11, 2024

Rivalries: Cub Swanson The 41-year-old Californian will toe the line against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 graduate Billy Quarantillo in the UFC on ESPN 63...

UFC

Dec 11, 2024

Vitor Petrino Navigates a Bump in the Road The 2022 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate will try to get back on track when he meets Dustin Jacoby in a three-round UFC on ESPN 63 showcase.

UFC

Christian Stein

Dec 11, 2024

5 Things You Might Not Know About Laureano Staropoli The well-traveled welterweight will face a stern test when he collides with the once-beaten Abdoul Abdouraguimov in the PFL Europe 2024 Finals...

Professional Fighters League

Dec 10, 2024

By The Numbers: Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley The welterweight contenders will lock horns in the UFC on ESPN 63 main event this Saturday in Tampa, Florida.

UFC

Dec 10, 2024

Fight Facts: UFC 310 ‘Pantoja vs. Asakura’ UFC 310 featured a flyweight building a resume to challenge an all-time great, a few unbeaten performers at the pinnacle of the sport and a...

UFC

Dec 09, 2024

Matches to Make After UFC 310 The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Las Vegas with 14 fights and a title on the line.

UFC

Dec 08, 2024

By the Numbers: UFC 310 Alexandre Pantoja defended his territory with a vengeance.

UFC

Tristen Critchfield

Dec 08, 2024

Pictures: UFC 310 UFC 310 was topped by a flyweight title fight and 13 other action-packed bouts.

UFC

Sherdog.com Staff

Dec 07, 2024

By The Numbers: UFC 310 Pre-Fight Edition Alexandre Pantoja will defend his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title when he takes aim at Kai Asakura in the main event...

UFC

Dec 06, 2024

5 Things You Might Not Know About Ciryl Gane The 34-year-old heavyweight contender will look to keep his place in line when he rematches former Bellator MMA champion Alexander Volkov in a featured...

UFC

Dec 06, 2024

How to Watch UFC 310 The Ultimate Fighting Championship fires up its final pay-per-view of 2024 on Saturday in Las Vegas, where Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight crown opposite...

UFC

Dec 06, 2024

Prime Picks: UFC 310 ‘Pantoja vs. Asakura’ Sherdog soothsayer Jay Pettry examines the final Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view of 2024 and puts down his last bets until the...

Fight Odds

Dec 06, 2024

Opinion: Why the UFC Should Fast-Track More Fighters into Title Shots Fast-Tracking fighters for title shots is a god thing and should be done more often, writes Sherdog columnist J.L. Kirven.

UFC

Dec 06, 2024

Preview: UFC 310 ‘Pantoja vs. Asakura’ Alexandre Pantoja will put his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight crown on the line against Kai Asakura in the five-round main event.

UFC

Dec 05, 2024

Opinion: The UFC’s Tatiana Suarez Dilemma The oft-injured star’s withdrawal from UFC 310 further clouds what was once a promising future and leads Sherdog columnist Dayne Fox to ponder...

UFC

Dec 05, 2024

By The Numbers: Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Garry The unbeaten welterweight contenders will lock horns in the UFC 310 co-headliner on Saturday in Las Vegas.

UFC

Dec 05, 2024

Preview: UFC 310 Prelims The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s final pay-per-view of 2024 comes with a deep undercard attached on Saturday in Las Vegas.

UFC

Dec 04, 2024

Rivalries: Nate Landwehr The 36-year-old Tennessean will look to improve upon his 5-3 record inside the Octagon when he toes the line against Doo Ho Choi in a UFC 310...

UFC

Dec 04, 2024

Vicente Luque: As Driven as Ever The battle-hardened welterweight will square off with Themba Gorimbo as part of the UFC 310 undercard this Saturday in Las Vegas.

UFC

Christian Stein

Dec 04, 2024

Stand and Deliver: Kai Asakura When it comes to fighters who are under extra pressure at UFC 310, one name stands out above all the others, writes Ben Duffy.

UFC

Dec 03, 2024

A Familiar Ring for Alexander Volkov The former Bellator MMA champion will put his four-fight winning streak on the line against Ciryl Gane when their rematch fills a supporting role on the...

UFC

Christian Stein

Dec 03, 2024

By The Numbers: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura The fate of the undisputed flyweight championship will hang in the balance in the UFC 310 main event on Saturday in Las Vegas.

UFC

Dec 03, 2024

Pictures - UNF 21 UNF 21 took place Nov. 30 in Commerce, Calif., and featured the retirement bout of UFC and WEC veteran Francisco Rivera.

Dec 02, 2024

Opinion: PFL Struck Gold in Dakota Ditcheva, PFL MENA Sherdog columnist J.L. Kirven chimes in on the Professional Fighters League's discovery and development of Dakota Ditcheva, and what it could...

Professional Fighters League

Dec 01, 2024

Matches to Make for the PFL in 2025 When the Professional Fighters League signed a promising but unproven Dakota Ditcheva in 2022, the hope was that she could develop into the kind...

Professional Fighters League

Dec 01, 2024

Fight Facts: PFL 2024 Championships The Professional Fighters League hurled everything it had at its post-Thanksgiving gala event in Saudi Arabia, jam-packed with more title fights...

Professional Fighters League

Dec 01, 2024

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