Evan Zivin
Evan Zivin is a writer, having joined Bloody Elbow in 2023. He's been providing his unique takes on the sport of MMA since 2013, previously working as a featured columnist for 411Mania. Evan has followed MMA and professional wrestling for most of his life. His joy is in finding the stories and characters within all combat sports and presenting them in a serious yet light-hearted way.
Ilia Topuria believed he was greater and proved it
If Ilia Topuria is in for a run of greatness, then there's no better place to start than by beating 'The Great' at UFC 298.
McMahon's resignation is a double standard that could turn prophecy for Dana White
Vince McMahon's downfall may be as much a highly reflective mirror as much as it's a cautionary tale
UFC 297: Dricus du Plessis is no longer knocking
After UFC 297, Dricus du Plessis is a-rockin' now.
PFL vs. Bellator is a disaster waiting to happen
PFL's supercard with Bellator could be a coming-out party, or it could be a reason to just stay in
Leon Edwards is a ‘revolutionary’ champion
At UFC 296, Leon Edwards showed who's really winning the war
If Tom Aspinall wants Jon Jones, all he needs to do is wait
Advice for Tom Aspinall: good things come to interim champions who wait and don't defend their meaningless belts
Alex Pereira has a Hall of Fame career on fast forward
If Alex Pereira wants to accomplish something, you'd be best get out of his way
Ngannou should stick with boxing and leave MMA behind
Francis Ngannou is a professional boxer now. Why should he waste his time going back to MMA?
Francis Ngannou may not be the best, but he’s definitely the baddest
No one can doubt Francis Ngannou's determination and commitment after narrowing losing to the best heavyweight boxer in the world
The Russian revolution was televised at UFC 294
At UFC 294, Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev showed the world what Russia has always known: they're pretty good fighters
UFC 294 just proved that backups for title fights are completely pointless
Who would have thought that UFC 294 replacement fighters could be so easily replaced?
The deck was always stacked against Scott Coker at Bellator
Success has been fleeting for Scott Coker in Bellator MMA but he was never given much of a chance to begin with
UFC 293: Sean Strickland refused to be canceled
What happens when the man who isn't supposed to be here and can't keep his mouth shut wins it all? After Sean Strickland's UFC 293 upset over Israel Adesanya, it's now time to find out...
Aljamain Sterling deserves an immediate rematch but UFC will protect Sean O'Malley instead
The King is dead. Long live the king, Sean O'Malley.
O’Malley is proof UFC promotional machine can work — or Snoop Dogg is Nostradamus
After Sean O'Malley's title win at UFC 292, "The Suga Show" is already in progress.
Jake Paul won the battle but Nate Diaz won the war
Jake Paul officially beat Nate Diaz, but hard fought victories are not always viewed as victories...
New free agent Derrick Lewis would be insane to not go after Ngannou rematch
If Derrick Lewis is after the biggest fight, there is none bigger than 'The Predator'.
UFC 291 post-fight analysis: Gaethje has always been a BMF
Justin Gaethje beat Dustin Poirier at UFC 291. Is there a point to watching a BMF fight between two fighters who are already BMFs? I guess so.
Alexander Volkanovski is living up to his nickname, but his legacy still isn't complete
At UFC 290, there was "great" and then there was Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski
Yes, Fury vs Ngannou is a heist, but it'll also be a blast
Francis Ngannou made the impossible possible, and now has a fight with Tyson Fury. Just relax and enjoy it for what it is.
While White talks about Musk vs Zuckerberg, he's ignoring some great UFC bouts
What happens when UFC President Dana White cares more about fights he can't promise vs. ones he can? Well, we're finding out...
GWOAT? No, Amanda Nunes is the Greatest of all Time
Man or woman, there's no question that Amanda Nunes is one of the greatest fighters of all time, period.
'Happy' Charles Oliveira, and the obvious case for his title shot
There's only one destination for Charles Oliveira after UFC 289, and it's back to the top
It's time for the UFC to stop being 'lazy' and get out of The Apex
It's time to get the show back on the road full time, and the UFC can't get out of The Apex soon enough.
TUF 31 premiere reaction: just more of the same
"So, you want to be the ultimate tool for maintaining the status quo?" See my thoughts on TUF here.
Ranking today’s top 6 MMA vs boxing matchups by increasing ridiculousness
Since the MMA vs. boxing discussions won't go away, read as BE turns into this skid with all your "favorite" matchups
Sterling vs. O'Malley - A masterclass on how NOT to promote a fight
Aljamain Sterling vs Sean O'Malley? The road from promoting UFC 292 to bashing the headliner is one the UFC President is struggling to navigate
Why Dana White is absolutely right to question what PFL is doing with Francis Ngannou
Despite obvious bias, Dana White (the man who has vanquished multiple competitors) should know what it means to see smoke.
The BMF belt, and other stupid fake UFC championships
The BMF belt, and the MMA leader that enjoys cheap marketing ploys.
Francis Ngannou is proof that betting on yourself can pay off (again)
Francis Ngannou rolled the dice and got what he wanted, and we should be happy for him