Author: Nathan Zur

Cody Garbrandt has made a very successful career for himself in mixed martial arts. The 27 year-old entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2015 with a perfect 5-0 record and worked his way through the bantamweight division, remaining undefeated on his way to taking the title from Dominick Cruz. Garbrandt revealed to “I am Second” recently how none of his success in MMA would have been possible if it wasn’t for the love and support he received from his older brother Zach earlier in his life.

Britain’s Jimi Manuwa was scheduled to fight Glover Teixeira next month at UFC Fight Night 137 in a light heavyweight bout before injury forced the Brazilian off the card. With Teixeira’s withdrawal, Ultimate Fighting Championship matchmakers offered a replacement in the form of heavy hitting middleweight Thiago Santos which Manuwa initially declined before having a change of heart after some trash talk from Santos.

When the Ultimate Fighting Championship partnered with Reebok as its official provider of fighter apparel, many fighters expressed their disappointment as the deal meant a loss of sponsorship income since they would no longer be allowed to wear branded gear inside the Octagon. The deal forced fighters to search for alternate ways to make sponsorship money on the side. UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw recently spoke to the International Business Times about his partnership with Sanabul –- a producer of fight gear –- and why other fighters should align themselves with brands particularly when they are not fighting and earning money.

It might not come as a surprise to hear that Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White doesn’t intend to hold back his criticism of fighters if he feels it is warranted. White is a unique character in that he is the public figurehead of the largest MMA promotion in the world but at times finds himself at loggerheads with fighters on a raft of issues including weight cutting, performance inside the Octagon or a fighter’s personal life.

Kamaru Usman has been officially named by the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a back-up for the UFC 228’s welterweight title fight between the current champion Tyron Woodley and Liverpool, England’s Darren Till. Usman was a recent guest on The MMA Hour and was asked about his status as a replacement for both fighters before stating his belief that Till would struggle again to make weight.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez is officially a free agent after his rematch with Dustin Poirier last month. Alvarez headed into the fight with Poirier knowing it would be his last contracted bout and told reporters before that fight that he was confident of eventually negotiating a deal that suits him after turning down a contract offer from the UFC earlier in the year.

When former Ultimate Fighting Championship dual-division champion Conor McGregor was interviewed by TMZ days after Jose Aldo’s stoppage victory over Jeremy Stephens, fans were surprised when the Irishman gave the Brazilian a glowing praise and said he was “so happy” for him and his coach Andre Pederneiras.

Making your debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship is a daunting task. Now imagine if that debut was against the pound-for-pound king or queen.

It has been reported for a number of weeks now that a matchup between former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champions Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman was in the works for UFC 230 in November at Madison Square Garden, New York although nothing has been made official yet.

Former flyweight king Demetrious Johnson has been the most dominant champion in Ultimate Fighting Championship history recording 11 consecutive title defenses. Until he lost to Henry Cejudo earlier this month at UFC 227, Johnson was the only fighter to hold the belt since the 125-pound weight class was introduced into the UFC back in 2012.