PFL bought Bellator
It had been teased for months, but finally on Nov. 20, it was made official. The Professional Fighters League had purchased Bellator. The PFL made the announcement and declared itself a global powerhouse and the MMA co-leader next to the UFC. The promotion absorbed the Bellator contracts and announced that Bellator would continue on in Europe with the fighters competing for a chance to enter the PFL Global Season in 2024. Additionally the champions of both the organizations will face-off in 2024 in a champions vs. champions event.
The combined PFL and Bellator fighter rosters are second to none in MMA, said Peter Murray, PFL CEO. We can’t wait to bring MMA fans what they have been asking for -best vs best with the PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions Mega-Event.
During the PFL Finals, just days after the announcement was made, Bellator champions faced off with the newly crowned PFL champions building up the drama for next year.
USADA and UFC parted ways
Who would have guessed the biggest fight in 2024 would be between the UFC and it’s anti-doping partner, USADA. After a contentious back and forth over Conor McGregor not getting a USADA exemption, USADA CEO Travis Tygart announced they’d be parting ways with USADA starting in 2024. In his announcement Tygart implied that the UFC wanted to play favorites thus putting the validity of the program in question.
The UFC held a press conference with chief business officer Hunter Campbell and Jeff Novitzky, senior vice president of athlete health and performance who denied those claims. The UFC even threatened to sue USADA for the claims it made.
“We stand by our statement and our credibility. Tygart said after the press conference.
It was a high-drama situation with both side throwing low blows and trading insults, meanwhile the fighters were stuck in the middle wondering what to do next.
Drug Free Sport International will be the drug-testing program for the UFC beginning on Jan. 1, 2024.
Jake Paul signs with PFL
2023 started off big for YouTuber turned pro boxer Jake Paul. On Jan. 5 it was announced that the PFL had signed Paul to make his MMA debut with the promotion. PFL chairman and co-founder Donn Davis told ESPN it is a multifight, multiyear deal.
“I’ve proven myself in and out of the boxing ring and now I am going to do the same in MMA,” Paul said in a statement at the time. “There is no limit to the positive impact I can make on the sport. I plan to enter the PFL SmartCage and once again show the world that anything is possible with hard work and dedication.”
Unfortunately it’s been almost a year since that announcement was made and there’s been not a peep from Paul about actually making that debut.
Dana White slapped his wife
Not everything that happened in 2023 was good but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention this moment. On New Years, UFC president Dana White was caught on camera slapping his wife in a nightclub.
White addressed the media after the video came out apologizing to his wife and children.
There was definitely a lot of alcohol, but there’s no excuse, White told TMZ after the video was leaked. I’m literally making no excuses for this thing at all. It’s never happened before. It’s the first time that it’s ever happened, and people are going to say what they’re going to say. It is what it is. And whatever people do say, it’s deserved. I deserve it. It happened.
The incident became a talking point for women’s rights, domestic violence and even gender equality as his wife was seen striking White first.
“We’ve talked this through as a family and apologized to each other. I just hope people will respect our privacy for the sake of our kids, White’s wife Anne told TMZ.
Trash talking sunk to a whole new low
Trash talk is a very important and popular part of the fight game, it’s how fans get excited for an upcoming match and in some cases it can even rattle an opponent enough to give someone the edge.
Conor McGregor was great a trash talk. He knew how to push the buttons of the opponent with snappy one liners and hilarious jabs. But for the most part, he knew where the line was drawn.
In 2023 though, that line seems to have vanished. Middleweight champion Sean Strickland crosses the line on the daily going as far as day dreaming about murdering random people on the street. But it wasn’t just Strickland who took things to the next level.
At UFC 296 Colby Covington used Leon Edwards’ murdered father as a subject of trash talk calling him a sex trafficker and telling Edwards he’d see him in hell. Dricus Du Plessis also brought up a father when he told Strickland he’d beat him like his dad used to do.
Wives were also a big topic of discussion this year with Sean O’Malley’s open relationship with his wife being brought up and Ian Garry’s wife was the subject of many memes over a book she wrote years ago.
Let’s hope 2024 isn’t an upward trend on the trash talk.
Jon Jones wins heavyweight title after 3 year layoff
Everyone knows Jon Jones is the GOAT, even if you don’t want to admit it. But in 2023, Jones put the final few doubters out of commission when he returned from a three year layoff and won the UFC heavyweight title.
On March 4, exactly three years and 26 days after defeating Dominick Reyes and light heavyweight, Jones stepped into the cage and defeat Ciryl Gane in just over two minutes to become the new heavyweight champion.
“I’ve been working for this for a long time,” Jones said in his post fight interview. “A lot of people thought I wasn’t coming back. I’ve been faithful to my goal. I’ve been faithful to the mission. There were days I didn’t want to train, and I was always there.”
Jones was supposed to fight Stipe Miocic this year too, but was forced out of the bout due to injury. That fight is expected to take place in 2024.
Francis Ngannou knocked down Tyson Fury
Technically this happened in a boxing ring but we’re counting it on our list because the moment was huge for the MMA community.
Francis Ngannou essentially gave up his UFC career because he wanted to box and after he signed with the PFL, he did just that. In one of the biggest cross overs since Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather, Nagnnou stepped in the ring versus heavyweight king, Tyson Fury.
Absolutely no one thought Ngannou stood a chance … and you’re lying if you claim you did. But Ngannou continues to prove his doubters wrong time and time again. Nagnnou dropped Fury in the third round and continued to put the champion at risk throughout their fight, eventually losing a controversial descision to Fury.
But it didn’t matter, Ngannou had won in all the fans eyes.
Power Slap is really a thing now
Despite outrage from the fans and media, and the White New Years eve slap scandal, Power Slap made it’s debut in 2023. Power Slap 1 took place on March 11, after the first instalment of the reality show ended.
The controversial new slap show has since gone on to host six events and a second season of it’s Power Slap: Road to the Title TV show.
We dominate. Power Slap dominates social media in sports. The thing that was closest to us up until last week was the NFL and it wasn’t even football, it was Rihanna at the halftime show. By the time the end of the year happens, we might triple that number. It’s insane, White said of the new programming.
It looks like Power Slap is here to stay.
PFL mass PED suspensions
2023 was a huge year for the Professional Fighters League. The promotion signed Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou and purchased Bellator all in one calendar year. But there was a stain on the year, specifically the 2023 PFL season tournament which had a whopping 10 fighters flagged and pulled from the season for failed drug tests.
The tests stemmed from a three week run in Las Vegas, NV. Two former PFL champions, Rob Wilkinson and Bruno Cappelozza were flagged and removed as were new UFC acquisitions Thiago Santos and Krzysztof Jotko.
How many seasons have we done now and not had a single positive test, Randy Couture said of the season failures. And then we come to Vegas for three shows and we have 10? Something’s not quite right there, in my opinion. But who knows. And Dana’s comment about that was telling in my mind, too. ‘Oh, I bet they don’t come back to Vegas’. So who knows, but yeah. It’s unfortunate. Obviously we pivoted, we plugged in some holes. Its been an a amazing season.
Just as the PFL announced it would be partnering with USADA, the UFC announced their exit.
Angela Lee retires
This story may have not gotten the attention it deserved when it happened, so we’re going to remind you now. ONE Championship star Angela Lee retired in 2023 at just 27 years old.
Her retirement came as a bit of a surprise as Lee had taken time off after the sudden death of her sister Victoria at just 18 years old. In her retirement Lee revealed that she had attempted suicide and her sister Victoria also took her own life.
“I don’t have the heart to step in there again,” Lee told ESPN of her decision. “And I know that it might sound corny or whatever, but if you follow your heart, it will always lead you in the right direction. And that’s why I know I’m making the right decision.”
Lee announced she will be working on the non-profit charity Fightstory which will help people battling with mental health issues.
