Day: 2. April 2024

It will be a new beginning of sorts for Linton Vassell on Thursday night.

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The 40-year-old Englishman will make his Professional Fighters League debut at the organization’s first regular season event of 2024 when he meets Denis Goltsov in a featured heavyweight bout at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas.

It wasn’t initially the matchup “Big Swarm” had in mind, but things changed when Ryan Bader suffered a first-round knockout loss to Renan Ferreira at PFL vs. Bellator on Feb. 24. Instead, Vassell will take part in the PFL season.

“I actually thought I would be fighting him [Bader] next. But he lost,” Vassell said during a media call. “… Who wouldn’t want to be in the tournament where you get a belt, you get money and you get to fight the champion at the end? I don’t think the Bader fight will happen now, to be honest. I’m on a different road.”

While Vassell will be competing under the PFL banner, he stil considers himself a Bellator ath…

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: @Savmarshall1 finally makes the walk to the PFL SmartCage

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 June 8th LIVE from the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England

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Get your tickets today! 👇🎟️ https://t.co/uSa9X28XO5 pic.twitter.com/eFlh7i9xH9 — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 2, 2024

Savannah Marshall will make her first Professional Fighters League foray a little more than two months from now.

The organization announced on Tuesday that the boxing champion will compete at PFL Europe Newcastle on June 8 in the main event against an as yet to be announced opponent. PFL Europe Newcastle takes place at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England, and airs on DAZN. The card will showcase bantamweights and women’s flyweights, with more bouts expected to be revealed in the coming weeks. Marshall will compete at 155 pounds.

“The Professional Fighters League prides itself on having the best athletes in the world on its roster and on June 8, PFL welcomes boxing wor…

Joaquin Buckley is looking to take big career steps in a short amount of time.

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Buckley scored a Round 2 technical knockout win over Vicente Luque in the co-main event at UFC Atlantic City on Saturday, which put him on a three-fight winning streak. Buckley then called for a quick turnaround to fight at UFC St. Louis which goes down at the Enterprise Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 11.

“I can’t wait to get to St. Louis man and do the same thing… That’s the plan. We got to talk to the UFC and see what they're talking about, but yeah, I’m open to fighting in May,” said during Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

UFC St. Louis is currently scheduled to be headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento. However, Buckley believes the UFC might promote him to the main-event spot for the first five-rounder of his career.

“They might change that. They will switch it up,” he said. “If I fight in St. Louis, they’re…

Max Holloway wants “real life BMF” Mark Coleman to wrap the belt around the winner of his UFC 300 clash against Justin Gaethje.

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Gaethje puts his BMF title on the line in a lightweight clash against “Blessed” at the milestone event on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The BMF title has historically been presented by a notable personality, first by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to Jorge Masvidal and then a retired Masvidal presenting it to Gaethje after the latter’s victory.

When asked whom Holloway would like to present the belt for his fight against Gaethje, the Hawaiian said there’s only one correct answer: Coleman. Holloway labeled Coleman a “real life BMF” owing to the former UFC heavyweight champion’s recent heroic actions.

Coleman’s childhood home in Fremont, Ohio, recently caught fire when the former Olympian was visiting his parents. It was the family pup, “Hammer,” that awakened Coleman, who then saved both his parents. Coleman …

Nate Landwehr wouldn’t advise anyone to become a professional fighter even though he admittedly loves his job “more than he probably should.”

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In his first fight as a father, Landwehr scored a come-from-behind Round 1 technical knockout win over Jamall Emmers (20-8) at UFC Atlantic City on Saturday. However, the Ultimate Fighting Championship fan favorite would never even wish for his worst enemy to pursue a career in mixed martial arts, let alone his son. Landwehr would in fact start by discouraging his son, which he believes is the first test to pass.

“That’s a tough one. I almost wouldn’t even wish this life on my worst enemy,” he said "The MMA Hour”. “I would try to discourage him [son], as that first little discouragement. And if he could get past, then he [could go ahead]. That’s why I always tell people, ‘Don’t do it.’ If me telling you, ‘Don’t do it,’ is gonna break you then you ain’t got what it takes. That’s always my go to. Somebody tel…

Ten fighters from UFC on ESPN 54 have been suspended indefinitely following Saturday’s card.

The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board on Monday released a full list of medical suspensions from the event. UFC on ESPN 54 took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and saw Manon Fiorot defeat Erin Blanchfield via unanimous decision in the evening’s flyweight main event.

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Fiorot is one of the fighters facing an indefinite term, as she must have her right arm cleared by an orthopedic doctor befoe she can compete. At a minimum, the French standout is out 60 days with no contact. Blanchfield, meanwhile, is suspended 30 days due to facial lacerations.

Nine other fighters from UFC on ESPN 54 are also facing indefinite terms, which can be lifted through doctor clearance: Chris Weidman (needs head CT scan); Bruno Silva (left eye), Sedriques Dumas (right eye), Herbert Burns (needs neurologist clearance); Connor Matthews (needs neurologist clea…

Marcelo Golm will step in for Tyrell Fortune and face Daniel James at PFL 1 on Thursday night.

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The organization announced the new heavyweight bout on Monday. Golm vs. James is scheduled for the evening’s preliminary card. A reason for Fortune’s withdrawal was not given.

PFL 1 takes place at the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas, and features regular season bouts for heavyweights and women’s flyweights. The card is headlined by a heavyweight clash pitting Ante Delija against Valentin Moldavsky. The main card airs at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on ESPN2 and ESPN+, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Your Updated PFL San Antonio Fight Card

•Tyrelle Fortune is OUT•New Matchup: Marcelo Golm v. Daniel James•𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: Early Card starts at 6:30pm ET | Main Card starts at 10pm ET

[ #PFLRegularSeason |Thursday , April 4th |10PM ET | 🎟️… pic.twitter.com/sw8yUgRyb0

— PFL (@PFLMMA) …

Guilherme Bravo has weighed in on the eye-poke controversy that occurred in the bout between Chris Weidman and Bruno Silva at UFC on ESPN 54.

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Bravo, a key figure in MMA judging and refereeing in Brazil, offered some critiques of referee Gary Copeland on his weekly YouTube program, “Momento Bravo.” While the bout was initially a stoppage win for Weidman, it was later changed to a technical decision victory for the ex-middleweight champion when it was determined that Silva was affected by eye pokes during the stoppage.

"He clearly used double standards,” Bravo said of Copeland. “In Herbert Burns' fight against Julio Arce, he made perfect use of the video replay. Immediately after warning Burns that he had applied an illegal knee, he used the replay to check a second knee and removed the points immediately.”

Bravo also criticized Copeland’s attitude in the Weidman-Silva fight.

"Lately we have had a change in the conduct of fouls caused by finge…