Covering mixed martial arts news and events from all over the world with a focus on the women's divisions.
B.C., Canada
Joined May 2009
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Robert Sargent retweeted
Dana White lambasted Gary Shaw for directing Seth Petruzelli to not go for takedowns on Kimbo Slice. Neither White nor matchmakers are telling anyone what to do, but they are creating an incentive structure by process of elimination in telling fighters what they don't want.
Muhammad Mokaev calls out the UFC for “creating bullsh*t narratives” about fighters before releasing them 😳
“At what point does that cross the line? Isn’t that influencing the competition?
If you want to release a fighter, fine. But don’t then publicly say he was “hard to deal with” or create some bullshit narrative about him that could damage his reputation and make other organizations think twice about signing him.”
Robert Sargent retweeted
TKO believes their ability to promote is exceptional beyond their peers and that explains their success.
Yet, the Shakur situation & a mid 2026 for Zuffa show that out of MMA & into less controllable boxing, TKO's promotional skills don't seem exceptional
youtube.com/watch?v=13baa_h5…
Robert Sargent retweeted
Dana White on boxing: This is like beating up babies....
Garcia v Benn flops on Para+
Johnny Fisher flops on Sky & arena attendance
Eddie turfs out TKO from Fury v Joshua
Shakur signs then exits Zuffa boxing
The babies are making a helluva comeback...
Robert Sargent retweeted
Tremendous example of the power boxers have over their own careers (thanks to the current Ali Act). Imagine if UFC fighters had this ability. How much different MMA could be. This is exactly why TKO/Zuffa Boxing covets the UBO model. Without that control there's no special sauce.
SHAKUR SECURES RELEASE FROM ZUFFA
youtu.be/bROlvfaVUpo?is=rysC…
Robert Sargent retweeted
So the Zuffa Boxing guys get paid a hell of a lot more, and they also get released whenever they want?
We don't know the full story, but it's certainly interesting.
If I were a UFC star, it would be extremely frustrating to see the Zuffa Boxing guys getting all the perks.
Robert Sargent retweeted
Farid-Matsumoto was excellent and it didn’t even win FOTN. Dana himself has said the matchmakers are completely jaded with MMA at this point. There’s no fire there anymore.
🚨| Farid Basharat tells @MightyMouse the UFC informed him they weren’t fans of his style following his fight with Chris Gutierrez last year.
He then beat Brazilian prospect Jean Matsumoto via split decision in a fight featuring 372 combined strikes thrown over 15 minutes.
Afterward, Basharat’s manager called the UFC to get their thoughts, only to be told they still found the fight boring. 🤔
Robert Sargent retweeted
Shakur Stevenson was arguably Zuffa Boxing's biggest signing to date, and he's gone before ever stepping foot in the ring for them.
I don't recall a time when someone signed with a promotion only to be released before ever competing for them.
Dana has continuously said, “Judge us by the end of the year.”
This is definitely a step back.
Robert Sargent retweeted
The Farid Basharat situation is just further proof that the UFC is not a sports league. It's a sports entertainment company.
They're no longer in the business of finding out who is the best. They're in the business of finding out who is the most exciting, who can sell the most tickets and subscriptions.
Farid Basharat has clearly shown he's UFC caliber. But winning isn't good enough anymore. If you're not producing highlights and viral moments, they don't have much use for you.
Farid has more eyes on him than ever. Now it's about capitalizing on that attention and making the most of it.
Robert Sargent retweeted
Larissa Pacheco being one of the top 5 in WMMA today and not signed by anyone is crazy.
Larissa Pacheco frustrated over lack of offers after UFC snub
(Via @guicruzzz)
📰 mma-fighting.visitlink.me/-3…
Robert Sargent retweeted
It's encouraging that people are calling this out for the nonsense that it is, but it's deeply worrying that this realisation is only happening now for most people.
The slopification of the UFC has been ongoing now for a number of years. And is having effects beyond the very top.
DWCS is destroying the regional scene with increasing numbers of fighters either 1) padding their records or 2) finding it impossible to find anyone legit to fight them - therefore inadvertently padding their record.
We're ending up with a load of undefeated fighters who will look nice and shiny to a guy on a Tuesday with a fact sheet and no knowledge but in reality they are ill prepared for top level MMA.
Seven UFC wins, an unbeaten 16-0 record, and reportedly no new contract.
Farid Basharat could be leaving the promotion despite his perfect professional record. What's behind the surprising decision? 👀
sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-re…
Robert Sargent retweeted
Why pay for the best fighting the best?
Sign cheap talent contender series and slop together mismatches for KO's.
Pay influencers to "Wooooaaaahhhh!!!!"
The powerslapping of MMA era.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَالَمِينَ
The news is confirmed, I am no longer with the UFC.
I’ve had an incredibly successful time in the organisation. I’m proud and happy with what I’ve accomplished inside the Octagon. I leave with a stainless record. Holding the longest active win streak in my weight division and the fourth longest in the entire UFC. I feel I’m the best bantamweight in the world.
I always turned up and fought regardless of injuries and weight deficits. And I always asked for the toughest opponent to get me closer to the title.
But my departure clearly has nothing to do with my fighting capabilities. Unfortunately the organisation just isn’t what it used to be. They’re heading in a different direction from what we all grew up loving.
I want to clarify that since my last fight I was never offered a contract or an opponent, I waited but it never came. I’ve certainly never declined a fight during my whole tenure.
I want to thank the UFC staff with whom I’ve developed a great relationship these past few years. And most importantly thank you to the fans for all your support ❤️
I’m still young, the best is yet to come inshaAllah.
🌹
Robert Sargent retweeted
Of course they did. The matchmakers for the biggest promotion hate their own "sport." They'd rather see Anthony Wint finish ten bums then an actual high level MMA fight like Basharat vs. Matsumoto.
Farid Basharat removed from UFC roster despite 7-0 octagon run
mmafighting.com/ufc/515775/f…
Robert Sargent retweeted
Maybe tell him to his face next time you see him instead of grinning next to him like a kid at Disneyland who just met Mickey Mouse.
Joe Rogan: What Trump stood for, some of it turned out to not be real. Like 'no wars.' We're at a war with Iran, so that wasn't real. And it's nuts to just give someone a $50,000 ICE signing bonus, you train them for seven weeks and then give them guns, and you have a militarized force running through the fucking city streets. It seems crazy.
Robert Sargent retweeted
In May, Lucero "La Loba" Acosta surprised MMA fans by revealing she'd left Combate Global. Now PFL-bound for her debut at #PFLChicago, no one was more surprised than the former face of Combate herself. My latest - @UncrownedCombat 👑
sports.yahoo.com/mma/article…
Robert Sargent retweeted
Alexander Hernandez admits it's disappointing that genuine interactions with fans have been reduced to shallow talk about parlays:
“The saddest thing in the world is you get done with a fight, you're in the airport, and no one just comes up to you to say they're a fan or ‘great work.’ They say, ‘You hit my parlay,’ or, ‘Man, we cashed out.’
It's the saddest demise of just sports enthusiasts and the interaction of fan and athlete. The whole makeup of it is just getting sadder and sadder.”
The upcoming #UFCEdmonton event, despite being here in Canada, continues the months-long trend of almost every UFC event being left off of TV.
Excluding UFC 332, which aired for free on Citytv, UFC has virtually no live TV presence in Canada anymore. Only online via Sportsnet+.
Robert Sargent retweeted
I reached out to Valentina Shevchenko about her recent title situation, and I think it serves as a reminder of how little leverage UFC champions like Sean Strickland have.
She told me:
"It was not an easy decision to make. I care a lot about my division. I want it to be active and the belt to be in the game. I couldn't be 100% for October, needing more time for proper recovery. I plan to come back in 2027."
Valentina is the most decorated women's flyweight champion of all time and one of the most decorated champions in UFC history. She wasn't available on the date they needed her, so they took her belt away.
At some point, they're going to tell Sean, "We need you. Pick a date."
If he doesn't say yes, they're just going to take that belt away. I don't think the UFC bats an eye. They'll keep it moving and book something else.