Luke Thomas covers mixed martial arts and combat sports for MMAFighting.com and SB Nation. Luke is the former Editor in Chief of Bloody Elbow, one of SB Nation's MMA blogs. He's also a host on SiriusXM Fight Club.
In the opening of Bellator's Summer Series at Bellator 96, Muhammed Lawal viciously stopped Seth Petruzell in the first round while long-time MMA veteran Renato 'Babalu' Sobral retired after a third-round stoppage loss to Jacob Noe.
Despite a narrow window of creative room, Spike TV and Bellator are betting there's enough for one more addition to the reality fight show genre. Randy Couture and Greg Jackson explain why Fight Master is different and why it will connect with fans.
Can Lawal get back on track after being derailed during season 8? After two years in prison, what does Koppenhaver really have to offer? I answer these questions and more with my predictions for Bellator 96.
Join Luke Thomas for the MMA Fighting weekly live chat. Today's topics include a preview of UFC 162 and Bellator 96, discussion of 'Fight Master' and answering other reader questions/comments. It kicks off at 1 p.m. ET.
There was much to love and hate about UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson. Let's separate the winners from the losers, the best from the worst and the signal from the noise.
Metamoris promoter Ralek Gracie talks about the Brendan Schaub situation from Metamoris 2, getting rid of judges, instituting a yellow card system going forward and more.
What does it mean for the careers of headliners Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson should they win or lose tonight? What about the rest of the fighters on the main card? We explore the risks and rewards each faces at UFC 161.