What was the biggest story of the year?
With 2019 in the books, it is time to look back at the year and ask: What was the biggest story of the year? What was the biggest story of the year? Frank Hyden MMATorch […]
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HISCOE: Is UFC broadcast pacing really better since moving to ESPN?
UFC’s relationship with ESPN appears to have worked out very well for the promotion. Just a few months into their initial five-year deal, UFC and ESPN extended their partnership by an additional two years. Both […]
Is Conor McGregor showing contrition, or is he doing PR?
Conor McGregor’s recent interview with ESPN struck an apologetic tone. Is he showing contrition for past behavior, or is he doing PR? Responses to the Conor McGregor apology. Frank Hyden MMATorch Columnist It’s PR, no […]
MMATorch Cast (6/19) Cejudo surgery, women’s flyweight booked, MMA ESPY nominations
MMATorch.com managing editor Robert Vallejos reacts to Henry Cejudo having surgery,Valentina Shevchenko vs. Liz Carmouche booked, and the MMA ESPY nominations. SUBSCRIBE TO THE MMATORCH RSS FEED: Put this link in your favorite podcast app […]
FREE PODCAST 4/15 – PWTorch Dailycast – MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans: Vallejos, Grocke, and McGrath review UFC 236, discuss the first night of UFC PPV on ESPN+, TJ Dillashaw’s EPO failure, more (94 min)
SHOW SUMMARY: On this week’s edition of MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans, MMATorch.com’s Robert Vallejos, Michael Grocke, and David McGrath review UFC 236. They examine the first night of UFC PPV on ESPN+, give their […]
SUNDAY NEWS DIGEST 4/14: Dana White acknowledges ESPN+ ordering issues for UFC 236, Paulo Costa calls Adesanya ‘fake champ’, UFC wants Whittaker vs. Adesanya in Australia, more post-fight notes
‘It’s gonna get better’ Dana White knew that there would be some issues with the move to ESPN+ from traditional pay-per-view. And while it wasn’t a total disaster, there were a few issues with people […]
Two new (interim) champions crowned at UFC 236
There’s a good chance that UFC 236 was among, if not the least purchased pay-per-view in modern UFC history. Anecdotal evidence on Twitter indicated that many fans, and even some UFC fighters, were having trouble […]
SATURDAY NEWS DIGEST 4/13: TJ Dillashaw releases video statement acknowledging PED use, Dana White doesn’t expect any issues with EPSN+ PPV, Rockhold responds to Smith call out, more
‘I messed up’ TJ Dillashaw came clean Friday. Dillashaw posted an Instagram video where he apologized to fans after being suspended for two years by USADA for EPO use. In the video, you can see […]
WEINBAUM: The UFC is abandoning an important part of their fanbase With ESPN+
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on March 24, 2019. With UFC’s first pay-per-view exclusively on ESPN+ taking place Saturday night, we thought we’d republish this article. On March 12, 2019, Dana White cryptically […]
POLL: How will the new ESPN+ pay-per-view deal change your buying habits?
UFC completely upended its longstanding pay-per-view deals with cable and satellite providers last week. All UFC PPVs will now be available exclusively on ESPN+ beginning with UFC 236. How will this change influence your buying […]
HYDEN BLOG: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from Bellator 218 and UFC Fight Night 148, and UFC PPVs on ESPN+ Thoughts
Bellator 218 and UFC Fight Night 148 were this past weekend. Let’s get to the rundown. Bellator 218 GOOD- Norbert Novenyi Jr. submits Will Lavine Novenyi was all over Lavine and he kept trying submissions. […]
TUESDAY NEWS DIGEST 3/26: Conor McGregor tweets his retirement again, White, Rousey respond, and more
Thanks for the cheese Conor McGregor has once again taken to Twitter to announce his retirement from MMA. In a late Monday night tweet, McGregor said that he has “decided to retire from the sport […]
FREE PODCAST 3/25 – PWTorch Dailycast – MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans: Vallejos and Monsey break down several components of UFC moving PPV selection to ESPN+, review UFC Nashville, look ahead to UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje, more (88 min)
SHOW SUMMARY: On this week’s edition of MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans, MMATorch.com’s Robert Vallejos and Rick Monsey break down several components of the UFC moving their PPV selection to ESPN+, review UFC Nashville, […]
WEINBAUM: The UFC is abandoning an important part of their fanbase With ESPN+
On March 12, 2019, Dana White cryptically tweeted out three smiley face emoji. At the time I was wondering if Fedor Emelianenko got knocked out again and I didn’t know about it. What was Dana […]
ROUNDTABLE: Is UFC moving pay-per-views to ESPN+ a good move? (UPDATED)
Is moving all PPVs to ESPN+ a good or bad move for UFC? Cole Henry, Host – MMA Scope Podcast I would assume that the UFC wouldn’t do something like this unless they thought it […]
REPORT: ESPN lands UFC TV rights
The partnership between the UFC and Fox will come to an end, as ESPN has reportedly agreed to a major broadcast deal with the UFC. As first reported by Variety, the UFC will receive a total […]
FREE PODCAST 5/21 – Monday Livecast – MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans: Vallejos and Monsey review UFC Fight Night 129, discuss how Ariel Helwani moving to ESPN reflects on the network, the recent social media feuds of Chuck Liddell, All In, more (85 min)
SHOW SUMMARY: On this week’s edition of MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans, MMATorch.com’s Robert Vallejos and Rick Monsey review UFC Fight Night 129. They discuss how Ariel Helwani moving to ESPN reflects on the network […]
FREE PODCAST 5/14 – Monday Livecast – MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans: Vallejos and Monsey review UFC 224 and Bellator 199, react to the news of the streaming partnership between the UFC and ESPN+, discuss the release of Yair Rodríguez, more (107 min)
SHOW SUMMARY: On this week’s edition of MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans, MMATorch.com’s Robert Vallejos and Rick Monsey review UFC 224 and Bellator 199. They react to the news of the streaming partnership between the […]
BREAKING: ESPN and UFC reach streaming deal.
One piece of the UFC’s rights puzzle ha been solved. According to a release on their website, the UFC has reached a deal with ESPN that includes ESPN’s newly launches ESPN+ streaming service airing 15 […]
REPORT: ESPN and FOX Sports teaming up in bid for UFC television rights
The answer to the question, “Who will be the UFC’s new television partner?” might be a complicated one. According to a report by Variety, ESPN and Fox Sports have teamed up to make the UFC […]
ROB M V’s VLOG: Why Rousey brought this on herself
Did Ronda Rousey cause herself undue scrutiny over the past few days? Robert Vallejos explains how this all could have been avoided years ago. Ronda Rousey sure knows how to rile up the fan base […]
TUESDAY NEWS DIGEST 3/27/18: Things get weird in ESPN interview with Ronda Rousey
Just because Ronda Rousey’s getting ready to make her WWE debut at WrestleMania 34, don’t expect her to say that she’s for sure retired from MMA. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion quickly went to […]
TUESDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/18: Conor McGregor’s father defends son against racism accusations, Anderson Silva challenge, more (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)
With much of the hype surrounding the upcoming Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match moving away from the fight and towards controversial comments made by both men, McGregor’s father, Tony McGregor, spoke on his […]
5 YRS AGO: PENICK’S TAKE – Looking at Lorenzo Fertitta’s full ESPN interview on fighter pay, perceived UFC monopoly, Bellator, and more
In putting together a story regarding fighter pay in the UFC, ESPN conducted an interview with UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta. As they had spoken with several fighters on the UFC’s roster who would not allow […]
Dana White tells ESPN SportsCenter he’s aiming to have MMA added as Olympic sport
Dana White, President of UFC, says he wants to see MMA added as a sport in the Olympics. “We’ve probably been working on that for like three or four or five years,” he said on ESPN […]