In the latest episode of Dana White: Lookin’ For A Fight Season 2, the UFC President joins forces again with former UFC champion Matt Serra and coach-turned comedian Din Thomas for a trip to San Diego. The guys’ wild itinerary includes visiting an animal sanctuary, braving a haunted house, a trapeze lesson, a day on the water and lunch at an unusual burger joint. But the high point of the trip is talent-scouting at a local MMA show where a promising young flyweight gets his big shot.

Watch all this and more in Episode 3. Lastly, stay tuned to Yell! Magazine for daily news in MMA.

One of the more entertaining prelims was a lightweight bout between Marcin Held and Damir Hadzovic. During the first two round, “The Bosnian Bomber” was showing early signs of domination on the ground, taking his opponents back several times, and almost securing multiple submissions. But the table turned in the third round. Hadzovic who needed a finish to win the one-sided fight managed to knockout Held with a knee seven seconds into the final round.

The UFC has released the clip of the KO via Twitter for viewing pleasure right below.

Check it out!

Wow!! @DamirHadzo with the perfect knee at #UFCStockholm!! pic.twitter.com/K2ur41DD17

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 28, 2017

According to multiple MMA sources, including MMAfighting.com, Northcutt will meet Peru’s Claudio Puelles at UFC 214 in Anaheim, California. Northcutt was expected to fight earlier, but due to surgery last month to have his tonsil’s removed he was forced to push back his return.

Last December, Northcutt experienced has second loss in the UFC. In the highly-anticipated fight against Mickey Gall at UFC on Fox 22, “Super” lost the contest via submission (rear-naked choke) in the second round. However, the American mixed martial artist had a spectacular win in his UFC debut against Francisco Trevino winning via technical-knockout (TKO) in just 57 seconds. He then later defeated Cody Pfister and Enrique Marín.

His opponent Puelles is a MMA fighter with a professional fight record of 8 wins, 3 losses and 0 draws. Puelles is looking for his first UFC win following an unsuccessful debut against Toro Bravo at UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Ferguson.

UFC 214: Cormier vs Jones 2 will be held on July 29, 2017 at the Honda Center.

The presser was hosted by UFC President Dana White along with the top MMA stars from UFC 212 to UFC 214. On Friday things got really heated again between UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and former champion Jon Jones who makes his return at UFC 214. All hell broke loose between Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee after Lee brought up Chiesa’s mother during the preser.

In addition, UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko also get into a verbal altercation.

For more simply hit the play button and enjoy the clip!

Meet Justin Gaethje, an undefeated former World Series of Fighting 155-pound champion who previously held the belt for three years. With a perfect 17-0 record, only two wins that went into the hands of the judges, Gaethje will definitely be eyed by many top ranked UFC fighters, including true MMA fans who have been following his career for some time now.

His last 10 wins inside WSOF have been mostly by way of knockout, one submission and stoppages over dangerous foes such as Luis Palomino (twice), Nick Newell, Dan Lauzon and Gesias Cavalcante.

At the moment, the UFC has not made an official announcement yet on his promotional debut, but we expect it to come shortly.

Stay tuned to Yell! Magazine for more daily news in MMA.

Justin Gaethje Highlight Reel

From the 86,000 people that bought the pay-per-view for UFC 1 to the 1.3 million fans that paid to watch Conor McGregor become a two-weight world champion at UFC 205, MMA’s number one promotion is now classed as one of the 15 most popular sports in the world. With a passionate and growing fanbase from all four corners of the globe, the universal attraction to fighting has seen the sport go from a somewhat cult subculture to something that is now being embraced by the mainstream.

The Early Years

The size and pull of the UFC was highlighted last year by the promotion being sold to talent agency WME-IMG for a colossal $4.2 billion, 15 years after 2001, when the Fertitta brothers – alongside Dana White – bought the company for $2 million. The sale saw the UFC become the most expensive sports franchise ever sold, only topped at the start of 2017 when the Liberty Media Group paid $8 billion to acquire Formula One. Now a major player in the world of viewing figures, the UFC have placed a large focus on live streaming in order to fulfill the huge global appetite for mixed martial arts.

The early years of mixed martial arts bear very little resemblance to today’s UFC events. And it’s perhaps no surprise that the sport was shunned by mainstream media and television at the time. The pay-per-view events, starting in 1993 with UFC 1, saw viewing figures grow from 86,000 to 300,000 for UFC 2, with the fights then being sold on VHS. Failing to attract any mainstream media coverage, these viewing figures soon dropped, forcing the UFC’s owners to sell the company to Dana White and the Fertitta brothers at a cut price cost in 2001. It wasn’t until 2005, when reality television show The Ultimate Fighter was launched – attracting over 10 million viewers over the course of the season – that the UFC really exploded onto the mainstream – with 1.9 million people watching Forrest Griffin beat Stephen Bonnar live on Spike TV.

“Buffer” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by geyergus

Live Streaming

More and more people move away from traditional television networks in favor of using their computers or smartphones to consume content, with Netflix alone boasting over 98 million members in 190 countries. From breaking news to live sporting events, live streaming has been responsible for a new trend of how people view content. For the likes of eSports – the fast-growing world of professional video gaming backed by brands as diverse as Coca-Cola and HTC, – more than 500 million use live streaming services such as Twitch to watch events. Live streaming has also played a significant role in the increase in popularity of online casinos – an industry worth almost $30 billion in the U.S. alone. At online casinos such as Betway, live streaming means a new way to play, with players receiving streams of remote locations, where croupiers and dealers will serve them in casino games like roulette and blackjack. Even the app markets of Google Play and the App Store are testament to the popularity of live streaming tech, with Twitter-owned Periscope app and Facebook Live allowing amateurs to join the streaming revolution by streaming their life and activities.

This is where live streaming and MMA meet. The emergence of the live streaming phenomenon was the real catalyst for the UFC to truly embrace the technology. The UFC realised that there were millions of potential viewers around the world who didn’t have access to television channels that broadcasted the matches locally, so they went on to launch their Fight Pass service – where events were live streamed. Following in the footsteps of the WWE Network, which live streams pay-per-view events, the UFC’s Fight Pass service has played a major role in revolutionizing the sport of mixed martial arts.

“UFC 189 World Tour Aldo vs. McGregor Lon” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by andriuXphoto.events

From the Bottom to the Top

Despite owning all the rights to a huge fight library covering over 25 years and multiple promotions, the UFC had no way of allowing fans to access this memorable events. One of the reasons behind the launch of Fight Pass in December of 2013 was to make use of this historic collection of mixed martial arts’ greatest fights. The other reason was to offer a professional live streaming service for fans of the UFC around the globe. From pay-per-view events to specific fight cards shown exclusively on the platform, Fight Pass has shaken off some early cobwebs to now become a crucial part of how the UFC promotes and broadcasts its events.

One of the most important recent moves the UFC have made in terms of their Fight Pass platform has been to purchase the rights to show a number of smaller promotions from around the world. From the women’s only promotion Invicta to European-based promotions such as Cage Warriors, Fight Pass is now being used to provide the next generation of athletes a platform on which to show their skills. And it isn’t just MMA, with Fight Pass also showing kickboxing events from major promotions such as Glory and grappling tournaments from EBI.

On Thursday, various MMA sources including MMAFighting.com report the former WSOF bantamweight kingpin is expected to make his promotional debut at UFC 212 against a top five ranked fighter, Raphael Assuncao.

Moraes (18-4-1) recently inked a deal with the UFC after his WSOF contract expired in 2016. Prior to his UFC deal, the 28-year-old Brazilian was considered the best unsigned 135-pound prospect for the UFC. He has been unstoppable since December 2011. Moraes holds wins over notable fighters such as Miguel Torres, Tyson Nam, Carson Beebe, Cody Bollinger, Josenaldo Silva, and among many others.

Assuncao is currently ranked No.4 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. Since his UFC debut in 2011, the Brazilian was only defeated twice. In January, he was victorious against Aljamain Sterling at UFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña via split decision.

UFC 212: Aldo vs. Holloway will be held on June 3, 2017 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In the latest episode of Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight the guy’s head to Sturgis for a motorcycle rally in South Dakota. While their stay they take a trip to Mount Rushmore, Din gets a tattoo coverup and a front row seat for an attraction known as The Wall of Death. Then the three journey to Atlantic City to scout for talent at a local fight promotion.

Watch all this and more in the latest episode. Stay tuned to Yell! Magazine for much more daily MMA news.

According to MMAfighting.com, Hunt is being considered to headline UFC Fight Night 110. His opponent is expected to be the one-and-only Derrick Lewis. A dangerous UFC heavyweight on a six-fight winning streak over top contenders such as Travis Browne, Roy Nelson, and Gabriel Gonzaga. He won most of his professional fights via TKO.

Hunt, 42, has notables UFC wins over Frank Mir, Antônio Silva, Stefan Struve, and among many others. He is also famously known for walkoff knockouts. Hunt is entering the court rooms for a drug test scandal between the UFC and Brock Lesnar, which is stemming from UFC 200.

UFC Fight Night 110 takes place on on June 11 in Auckland, New Zealand at the Vector Arena.

Besides just awarding fighters, the World MMA Awards also serves as a way for MMA fans to look back and celebrate the most memorable moments over the course of the entire year. 2016 was a obviously one of the biggest years ever in MMA, so it’s kind of hard to sum everything up in one post, but I think the honours below is enough to get the overall epicness of the year.

Without further ado, here the official winners for each category.

Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Fighter of the Year

Michael Bisping
Donald Cerrone
Cody Garbrandt
Conor McGregor – WINNER
Stipe Miocic

Female Fighter of the Year

Cris Cyborg
Angela Hill
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Angela Lee
Amanda Nunes – WINNER

Breakthrough Fighter of the Year

Yair Rodriguez
Cody Garbrandt – WINNER
Doo Ho Choi
Derrick Lewis
Michael Page

International Fighter of the Year

Michael Bisping
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Conor McGregor
Gegard Mousasi
Khabib Nurmagomedov – WINNER

Fight of the Year

Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit (UFC 195)
Cub Swanson vs. Doo Ho Choi (UFC 206) – WINNER
Michael Bisping vs. Anderson Silva (UFN 84)
Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2 (UFC 202)
Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson (Bellator 165)

Knockout of the Year

Anthony Johnson (vs. Glover Teixeira, UFC 202)
Landon Vannata (vs. John Makdessi, UFC 206)
Michael Page (vs. Cyborg Santos, Bellator 158) – WINNER
Yair Rodriguez (vs. Andre Fili, UFC 197)
Michael Chandler (vs. Pitbull Freire, Bellator 157)

Submission of the Year

Ben Rothwell (vs. Josh Barnett,UFC on FOX 18)
Nate Diaz (vs. Conor McGregor, UFC 196 — WINNER
Miesha Tate (vs. Holly Holm, UFC 196)
MacKenzie Dern (vs. Montana Stewart, Legacy 61)
Thiago Moises (vs. David Catillo, RFA 35)

Comeback of the Year

Michael Bisping (vs. Anderson Silva, UFN 84)
Nate Diaz (vs. Conor McGregor, UFC 196)
Dan Henderson (vs. Hector Lombard, UFC 199
Miesha Tate (vs. Holly Holm, UFC 196) – WINNER
Dominick Cruz (Career)

Upset of the Year

Michael Bisping (vs. Luke Rockhold, UFC 199) – WINNNER
Bryan Barberna (vs. Warlley Alves, UFC on FOX 18)
Joe Taimanglo (vs. Darrion Caldwell, Bellator 159)
Brandon Moreno (vs. Louis Smolka, UFN 96)
Zac Riley (vs. Hugo Viana, RFA 34)

Shawn Tompkins Coach of the Year

Jason Parillo
Din Thomas
John Kavanagh – WINNER
Marcus Marinelli
Greg Jackson

Trainer of the Year

Jake Bonacci (S&C coach)
Mike Dolce (Nutrionist) — WINNER
Lawrence Herrera (S&C coach)
Loren Landow (S&C coach)
George Lockhart (Nutrionist)

Gym of the Year

American Top Team – WINNER
SBG Ireland
Jackson-Wink Arena
American Kickboxing Academy
Team Alpha Male

Referee of the Year

Marc Goddard
Herb Dean
John McCarthy – WINNER
Yves Lavigne
Leon Roberts

Ringcard Girl of the Year

Arianny Celeste
Brittney Palmer
Mercedes Terrell
Carly Baker
Jhenny Andrade – WINNER

Leading Man

Dana White – WINNER
Scott Coker
Victor Cui
Marc Ratner
Jeff Novitzky

Best Promotion

UFC – WINNER
Bellator MMA
One Championship
KSW
Legacy

Personality of the Year

Joe Rogan
Jimmy Smith
Jon Anik
Matt Serra
Brendan Schaub

Analyst of the Year

Brian Stann
Dan Hardy
Robin Black
Chael Sonnen
Dominick Cruz – WINNER

Best MMA Programming

UFC Embedded
Ultimate Fighter – WINNER
Lookin’ for a Fight
The MMA Hour
UFC Breakdown

MMA Media Source of the Year

MMA Junkie
MMA Fighting — WINNER
Bloody Elbow
Sherdog
Flocombat

MMA Journalist of the Year

Ariel Helwani – WINNER
Shaun Al-Shatti
Brett Okamoto
Ben Fowlkes
Karim Zidan

MMA Clothing and Equipment Brand of the Year

Hayabusa
Bad Boy
Virus
Everlast
Venum – WINNER