Combat Press

At a glance

• Covers UFC, PFL, Bellator, kickboxing and Muay Thai
• Publishes its own rankings
• Reported Laura Sanko's April 2026 extension with the UFC and Paramount

Overview

Combat Press is an independent US combat sports site in English. It is not tied to a media group or a promotion. Its coverage runs from the UFC, PFL and Bellator to other combat sports, with real attention given to kickboxing and Muay Thai, which many general MMA sites leave out entirely.

The site publishes its own rankings, put together by its staff. It also follows the MMA media and broadcast business: in April 2026 it reported on UFC commentator Laura Sanko signing a contract extension with the UFC and Paramount, the promotion's new broadcast partner. That kind of story matters if you want to know who calls UFC events since the switch to a new broadcaster.

What you'll find

You get news, interviews, previews ahead of events, results and the staff rankings. Previews walk through the fights on a card before fight night, and interviews give fighters a platform, including those from regional promotions and from kickboxing who rarely get coverage on bigger sites. Each preview gives you enough context to follow a fight even if you have never seen the fighters compete before.

Combat Press also produces podcasts that extend its written coverage into audio. The mix of MMA, kickboxing and Muay Thai makes it useful for tracking fighters who move between disciplines, and for spotting names before they reach the major promotions and the bigger headlines.

Why follow

Combat Press is worth following if you want combat sports coverage broader than the UFC alone. Kickboxing and Muay Thai get the same treatment as MMA, with previews, results and interviews, which gives you a way into those sports in English without hunting for niche sources.

Its in-house rankings give you a second opinion to compare with the official UFC rankings. When the two disagree, look at who the staff ranks higher or lower, then check the fighter's recent results to see what explains the gap between the two lists.

MMA Official's take

Combat Press is for MMA fans who also follow kickboxing or Muay Thai, and for anyone who wants previews and interviews that go past the headliners. It also suits readers who like comparing several sets of rankings to form their own view.

Start with the previews posted before a UFC or PFL event, then check the staff rankings in the division you care about. After that, listen to a podcast episode to hear the interviews in full. If kickboxing is new to you, read the kickboxing results as well to spot the fighters whose names keep coming up.