Fightland went to Havana to check out the only mixed martial arts gym in Cuba. The Cuban government hasn't legalized MMA for fear of losing its best boxers, so the fighters on coach Evelio Padron Ferrier's team wrestle on concrete floors, use the ocean for endurance training, and practice techniques pulled from memory and bootlegged DVDs.
Get an inside look at Travis Browne's first UFC lost to Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in Before & After the Fight.
We went to Jordan's capital city of Amman where Palestinian refugee and Brazilian jiu-jitsu master Samy Al-Jamal teaches Jordanians and Muslim seekers from around the world the secrets of mixed martial arts. Then we met Rana Qubbaj, the first female Arab woman to win an International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation tournament. With a smile perpetually on her face, Qubbaj works to overcome both her opponents and any number of familial, social, and cultural issues raised by a woman doing combat sports in the Middle East.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion "Suga" Rashad Evans talks about the fine line between fear, arrogance, and not giving a damn.
Fightland follows UFC featherweight Clay "The Carpenter" Guida as he prepares for his first featherweight fight against Hatsu Hioki in his hometown of Chicago, IL. From the weigh-ins inside the Chicago Theater to the emotional walk to the Octagon, we stick around to see what it's like after the most important fight of your career.
Fightland travels to the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, to meet the two-time Olympian as he prepares for his long-awaited UFC debut this weekend.
In the wilds of Albuquerque, legendary trainers Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn have built one of the best MMA fight camps in the world, home to UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones, heavyweight contender Travis Browne, and countless other fighters. Fightland traveled to New Mexico to find out what their secret is.
Ottavia Bourdain--writer, MMA lover, and dedicated Brazilian jiu-jitsu student--and her husband, Anthony, show us what life is like when you've got a fighter in the family.
Go behind the scenes of coach Firas Zahabi's legendary Tristar Gym in Montreal, home to UFC champion George St. Pierre, blue-chip prospect Rory MacDonald, and MMA hopefuls like James Polodna and Kajan Johnson.
Bashir Ahmad, professional fighter and MMA pioneer, takes us on a tour of Pakistani mixed martial arts, from the gym where it was born to the late-night smokers where tomorrow's stars test their luck.
Fightland traveled to Calvary Chapel in Deerfield Beach, Florida, to hang out with Rian Gittman--pastor, part-time trainer, and true believer in the fighting spirit of Jesus--and learn about the intersection of MMA and Christianity.
Fightland travels to Kabul, Afghanistan, to meet Rohullah Mohammadi, a five-time kickboxing gold medalist who's devoted his life to teaching the kids of his war-torn country the art of MMA.
We visit Hawaii to meet surfer-turned-fighter Dustin Barca, who is running for mayor of Kauai, and has made it his mission to kick notorious biotech corporations like Monsanto, and their genetically modified foods, off the islands.
Ariel Helwani, the self-made and self-styled "voice of MMA," overcame loneliness, introversion, and UFC reluctance to become one of the most recognizable faces in mixed martial arts journalism.
MMA fighter Jonathan Brookins lets us inside his personal journey to India, and shows us how the practice of yoga has elevated his fighting ability.
In Canada's Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, MMA fighters faced with adversity and poverty are keeping a nation's warrior spirit alive.
Before they were martial artists, they were just guys who liked to fight. Fightland went to Las Vegas to find out how UFC contenders got their start in the world’s fastest-growing sport.
In the former Eastern Bloc nation of Bulgaria, twin brothers Rumen and Rosen Dimitrov are turning tough guys into mixed martial artists.
Fightland visits the P.O.W. Team in San Diego to learn how US Army Veteran Todd Vance is using MMA to help rehabilitate returning combat veterans who suffer from PTSD.
Fightland Meets UFC Heavyweight Josh Barnett to learn about his passion for Metal and Magic The Gathering.
Fightland visits Chatarra's Palace, home of Javier García Roche, a scrap dealing boxer who is building an amateur boxing team in the heart of Barcelona.
Fightland explores the rivalry between two of New York City's greatest Muay Thai fighters Joseph Sampieri and Aaron Fisher in the weeks leading up to their highly anticipated first fight.
Early this year, Fightland visited Travis Browne at his old training ground in Albuquerque, New Mexico to learn how the UFC heavyweight trains, eats, and prepares for his fights.
Fightland traveled to Manila to meet the first home-grown Filipino BJJ Black Belt Alvin Aguliar and learn how he is keeping a new generation of Filipino martial artists off the city's dangerous streets.
Fightland travels to Pembroke, Massachusetts to meet local celebrity Joe Proctor, a UFC Fighter training with Joe Lauzon at his notorious Easton gym.
As the UFC aims to expand in China, Fightland visited the Nova Uniao gym in Macau to learn about the city's upcoming talent.
Fightland went to San Diego to meet Liz Carmouche, the woman who made it through the Marine Corps, the Iraq War, and Don't Ask Don't Tell before getting her history-making shot at Ronda Rousey and the UFC women's bantamweight title.
UFC featherweight and Louisiana native Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier takes Fightland out on a fishing boat to talk about fighting, self-knowledge, and his life at American Top Team.
The Jacksonville Jaguar and Fox sports reporter hook up with UFC legend Chuck Liddell in the gym to see how MMA training can help make you a better professional football player.
Welterweight Rory MacDonald isn't just one of the top prospects in MMA; he's also the best-dressed man in the UFC. So we decided to take him suit shopping at Craig Robinson in Brooklyn.
Fightland sits down with MMA's first and greatest legend, Royce Gracie.
Find out what it's like to step inside the Octagon with the UFC's best in our Sitdowns: Feel The Fight Series presented by EA Sports UFC, out on June 17th. For our first episode, we sat down with TJ Dillashaw just three days before he became the new Bantamweight champion.
Welterweight Siyar Bahadurzada is the UFC's first Afghanistan-born fighter, and being raised in war-torn Kabul instilled in him a lust for danger -- from diving into the ocean during a storm to fighting in the Octagon any time.
Fightland travels to Erbil, Iraq to meet the Kurdish National Taekwondo team and learn how female fighters are finding a new voice in the region.
Before Uriah Hall's fight this weekend, go behind the scenes and learn what makes him tick and what video games he loves.
We talk with dominant Brazilian bantamweight Renan Barão about staying calm, finding a way out, and making his dreams a reality.
Former IFC Fighter and global MMA Coach Adam Shahir Kayoom was struck by the passion for Mixed Martial Arts in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. Despite decades long conflict in the region, Kayoom has established a successful MMA gym and roster of rising local stars including internationally known Welterweight Baz Mohammad Mubariz.
We sat down with the unorthodox heavyweight Roy Nelson to talk family, what it's like to fight in the UFC, and his first fight with Kimbo Slice.
In 2012 we followed UFC Lightweight Joe Lauzon as he prepares for, and comes down from, his thriller against Jamie Varner.
Find out what it's like to step inside the Octagon with the UFC's best in our Sitdowns: Feel The Fight Series presented by EA Sports. In this episode, we sat down with Miesha Tate to talk about the emotional and life affirming moments of fighting.
Last February, Fightland went down to Florida to ask UFC heavyweight Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva about his victory over Fedor Emelianenko, his humbling loss to Cain Velasquez, and the importance of family—both his family at home and his family at American Top Team.
We met UFC lightweight Rustam Khabilov and talked about his immigration from Dagestan and his new life at Jacksons MMA in Albuquerque.