Anchorage’s Jared Cannonier made a triumphant return to the octagon with a five-round unanimous decision over Arizona’s Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. Fighting for the first time in nine months, the 37-year-old Cannonier delivered a sharp performance to prevail in a battle between top-10 contenders in the… Read more »
There’s a pipeline coming out of Alaska, and it’s flowing straight to the UFC. Anchorage’s Jared Cannonier became the most recent Alaska fighter to sign a contract with the biggest and baddest mixed martial arts league in the world. The 30-year-old will carry his 7-0 pro record into his UFC debut Saturday in Las Vegas… Read more »
Eagle River’s Lauren Murphy proved she could take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’ in her latest UFC fight. The 38-year-old pro fighter absorbed a hail of potent punches and killer kicks from champion Valentina Shevchenko during their women’s flyweight title bout at UFC266 in Las Vegas. In the end, Shevchenko (22-3) proved too much… Read more »
Eagle River’s Lauren Murphy used a dominating second-round performance to carry her to a split decision over Scotland’s Joanne Calderwood at UFC 263 in Phoenix, Arizona. The 37-year-old Alaskan picked up her fifth straight victory in the women’s flyweight division, moving to 15-4 for her pro career and 7-4 in the UFC, the world’s premier… Read more »
Anchorage’s Gina Mazany doled out plenty of punishment to earn a third-round TKO in the women’s flyweight division at UFC Vegas 15. The 32-year-old Alaska fighter landed more significant strikes and finished off Rachael Ostovich with a lethal left leg front kick to the midsection with just 10 seconds left. This was Mazany’s first UFC… Read more »
Austin Vanderford of Ninilchik got the win he wanted – he just didn’t win the way he wanted. The fourth-year pro scored a unanimous decision victory over Brazil’s Vinicius De Jesus at the Bellator 251 main card at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. Vanderford won 30-26, 30-27, 30-27 on the judges’ scorecard. “Man, honestly,… Read more »
The UFC is taking a chance on Soldotna’s Victor Rodriguez. The 28-year-old Alaskan was called on to fill in as an emergency substitute against Adrian Yanez for UFC Vegas 12 on Halloween. Both UFC newcomers bring four-fight win streaks into the fight. Rodriguez (7-2) is believed to be the sixth Alaskan to fight in the… Read more »
