Which MMA blogs have the best content?
I provide my answer to that in this post.
Overall, the goal of this article is to inform readers on the best sites that cover the following:
- Latest news in MMA
- Instructional videos on fighting technique
- UFC matchup breakdowns/predictions for gambling purposes
- MMA rankings and records
- UFC betting statistics and researched based articles
- Fighter interviews on their preparation for their upcoming bout
- Stories that give an inside peak into a fighter’s life
- Learning about up-and-coming fighters
- Jiu-jitsu technique, breakdowns, and current Events
- For a video library that answers FAQ about MMA
If I’m missing any MMA blogs that strongly deserve to be on this list, contact me at lance@mmaparlay.com. I’ll take a look at those sites and consider adding them to this post.
For latest news
The latest news is where you find out about recently announced matchups, fighters that pulled out of a fight, reasons why a fighter hasn’t been booked, which fighter got a new sponsorship deal, and more. The news is a broad topic, even in the relatively small sport of MMA.
Luckily, this is a well-covered subject on the internet. Readers have a plethora of options to choose from (i.e. mmafighting.com, espn.com/mma, bjpenn.com, ufc.com, etc.).
Since this article requires my opinion on which one delivers the best/most up-to-date breaking news, I’ll give my recommendation on which one I value the most.
No. 1 – ESPN.COM
Now, the reason ESPN is my favorite resource for getting the latest and greatest martial arts headlines is because they have an all-star cast of journalists covering the sport with Ariel Helwani, Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi, and others.
Ariel Helwani has won MMA Journalist of the Year each year from 2010 to 2018 from the World MMA Awards. One of his typical articles is his “MMA Thoughts” column where he gives his perspective opinion on the past week of UFC, Bellator, and PFL events.
One article from this site that peaked my interest is titled UFC to launch real-time data product for sportsbooks.
For instructional videos on fighting technique
No. 2 – MMASHREDDED.COM
Normally, I would recommend that people go watch the free video content from “Professional Kickboxer, World Champion, actor & Glory analyst Bazooka Joe Valtellini” has on his YouTube Channel. Since that’s technically not a blog, the next best thing is the site headlined above.
My focus on picking a blog in this niche is that it focuses on teaching fighting technique with high quality content. My next requirement was that the much of that content is free. This blog meets both criteria.
This blog centers around introducing beginners to subtle fight techniques more than enlightening world class fighters on how to improve their game.
Here’s a video that I recommend, which demonstrates low kick tactics.
For UFC fight card breakdowns and predictions
No. 3 – PIGLORDMMA.COM
I’ve followed this writer for a while. They are accurate with their predictions.
The author is one of only a few individuals that still gives written breakdowns of fights.
Nowadays, mostly all UFC fight card breakdowns are in podcast or YouTube video format.
What’s great about this blog, besides the written medium, is how early they produce their content. They normally publish an article a week before the upcoming card. This helps give readers the ability to get the best line on a fighter, before the betting market realizes there is value in that matchup.
Pictured below is an example of a UFC matchup they did a breakdown on:
For MMA rankings and records
If you are at all like me, you want to hear about something that has never been done before. That’s why I thoroughly enjoy figuring out who holds certain world records like the fastest knockout in UFC history.
No. 4 – FIGHTMATRIX.COM
Unlike the ranking system developed by the UFC, which bases their rankings on a voting panel of media members, Fight Matrix uses an algorithm (CIRRS – Combat Intelli-Rating and Ranking System), which removes human subjectivity and implements a logical set of grading criteria.
Hands down, this website provides the best MMA rankings.
These rankings include both a list of the greatest of all-time and the current pound-for-pound best fighters.
They also update their rankings weekly.
Along with MMA rankings, the site also has some MMA records and interesting editorials.
Here are a few records that you can find on the site:
Who has the most MMA wins? Travis Fulton with 257.
Who has the most career wins without a loss? Khabib Nurmagomedov with 28.
Visit their site now to discover more records or to see who the greatest of all-time is.
For UFC betting statistics
No. 5 – MMAPARLAY.COM
I might be a little bias in picking this one, but I must include it when writing about my favorite MMA blogs.
In looking around other sports, they are rife with a myriad of statistics (air yards, slug %, QB rating, etc.), but mixed martial arts don’t have nearly as many.
This blog sets to answer questions that handicappers have, regarding fights. For example, a question that I’m currently working to solve, as of this writing, is — After a fighter wins their first $50k bonus in the UFC, are they more likely to win their next fight?
One would think that a fighter would have increased motivation and access to higher quality training, after obtaining such wealth.
Here at MMA Parlay, we want to answer that number with historical data.
Currently, there’s nowhere on the web that answers questions like that. That’s why we are sifting through data to find out.
If you have any questions similar to the one above, send us an email through our contact page.
For fighter interviews
No. 6 – THESCORE.COM
When I’m doing some analysis on upcoming UFC matchups, to decide whether I want to place a bet or not, the first place I look to is here.
I look for an interview from James Lynch.
In May 2019, he accepted a position with The Score as their Senior MMA News Editor. Since that date, The Score is where I now go for fighter interviews.
The reason I enjoy his interviews is because he sticks to the same script. He’s not trying to manufacture drama by telling Fighter X that Fighter Y said this about them.
He asks fighters what they think of their opponent, how they’ve prepared for them, and what they are streaming on Netflix.
For the most part, that’s all I really care to hear.
Here’s one interview that James Lynch did with Dominick Reyes before his big win over Chris Weidman – video.
For insider stories
No. 7 – UFC.COM
If you want to get an inside peak into a fighter’s life, the best place to go is Instagram. If you want something curated by a writing staff, then I recommend checking out the UFC website.
Although, I’m not much of a fan of their design. With that said, they do have a ton of promotional content on their website.
So, if you are interested in stories like James Krause visiting the Boston’s Children Hospital, where he “met patients, signed autographs, distributed UFC bleacher creatures and took photos”, visit UFC.com.
For learning more about up-and-coming fighters
No. 8 – MMASUCKA.COM
The main reason that I frequently visit this domain is to read my favorite article segment — Fighter of Interest.
Here is a great explanation about Fighter of Interest, as written by the author (Ed Gallo); it’s “where underrated, under the radar, or underappreciated fighters from an upcoming event are brought to light.”
Gallo includes many GIFS in his analysis, which helps with entertainment and understanding. He’s written many Fighter of Interest articles, some of which are on Nathaniel Wood, Petr Yan, and Calvin Kattar.
For Jiu-jitsu technique, breakdowns, and current events
No. 9 – BJJSCOUT.COM
If you’re a fan of Brazilian jiu-jitsu technique that’s applied in an MMA fight, I highly recommend watching the series BJJ Scout did on Demain Maia.
In that series, the content creator primary passes, MMA guard evolution, finishing sequences, and advanced recounters. There is also an emphasis to tripod with head pressure, which is repeatedly mentioned.
Along with that series, which you can find here, the website also contains other studies on Ben Askren and Conor McGregor.
When a series comes out from BJJ Scout, I make sure to watch it. But that’s not the only reason I visit their page. I also enjoy looking at the current events they have posted.
For a video library that answers FAQ about MMA
No. 10 – MMAONPOINT.COM
The UFC started from the curiosity to learn which martial art form is the best. That curiosity is what makes MMA so entertaining for me, because each fight provides an answer to a question. How will Fighter X respond to the calf kicks from Fighter Y? How will Max Holloway’s opponent deal with his boxing volume? And so on.
MMA on Point has a big archive of videos that answer questions that fans typically have, in this sport.
For example, they have a video for 10 Careers Ruined by Self-Sabotage.
When I see a fighter’s career begin to self-implode, I ask myself which fighters are the most notorious for personal or legal issues outside of the cage.
Also, I believe this account has the best videography in the entire MMA space.