Month: Januar 2025

It’s the end of an era for Holly Holm and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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The former bantamweight queen has been granted her UFC release to explore other options. Ariel Helwani was first to report the news on Wednesday. According to longtime agent Lenny Fresquez, Holm could pursue fights in either MMA or boxing. Though she parted ways with the UFC with two fights left on her contract, there is no animosity between fighter and promotion.

“It’s been a great relationship,” Fresquez told the Albuquerque Journal. “This is just about Holly taking advantage of other opportunities in her last few fights.”

In addition to being a former UFC title holder, the 43-year-old Holm is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame who has compiled a 32-2-3 mark in the Sweet Science. Holm initially made the transition to MMA in 2011 and won seven consecutive bouts before making her UFC debut in 2015. “The Preacher’s Daughter” skyrocketed to stardom wit…

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨

PFL Road To Dubai: Usman Nurmagomedov 🆚 @paulhughesmma will be streaming EXCLUSIVELY LIVE on January 25th in the US on @SportsonMax 📺#RoadToDubai | Sat Jan 25 | Coca-Cola Arena | Dubai, UAE | 10:30AM ET | Streaming on @SportsonMax pic.twitter.com/wNAfUCDu6e

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 13, 2025

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The mystery surrounding broadcast details for Professional Fighters League’s Road to Dubai Champions Series event is no more.

The promotion announced Monday that Road to Dubai will live on Max in the United States — much like Bellator Champions Series Events in 2024. The 12-bout card will begin at 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT.

Road to Dubai takes place at Coca-Cola Arena on Saturday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is headlined by a lightweight title clash between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes. In the co-main event, former Bellator light heavyweight king Vadim Nemkov will face Tim Johnson in a heavyweig…

A video of retired UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov being escorted off an Alaska Airlines flight has gone viral.

It appears staff reported feeling 'uncomfortable' with his apparent grasp of English as he sat in an exit row seat where he would need to assist in an emergency. pic.twitter.com/Bf7S7jLji6

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 12, 2025

Frontier Airlines has released its side of the story regarding an incident where UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov was removed from one of its flights over the weekend.

On Sunday, video surfaced of Nurmagomedov having an argument with a flight attendant about his seat on the exit row. The source of the disagreement appeared to be regarding Nurmagomedov’s ability to assist others in the event of an emergency. Though Nurmagomedov left the plane without incident, it prompted the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to call for an investigation into potential racial and religious p…

#BJJ #Grappling #BJJTournament #NoGi #JiuJitsu #RenzoGracie #HugoDuarte #RGI #RenzoGracieInvitational #HugoDuarteLutaLivre #USALutaLivre #USALutaLivreNationals #LutaLivreAmericanNationals #LutaLivre #SubmissionWrestling #RGI2025 pic.twitter.com/5IavLmUf6Y

— USA Luta Livre (@usalutalivre) January 9, 2025

As initially reported in August 2023, former Brazilian rivals Renzo Gracie and Hugo Duarte have joined forces as partners at an academy in Texas.

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“Definitely the world turns around. After years of war, I found out that one of my biggest rivals is such a unique person, and turned into a great friend and business partner,” Duarte told Sherdog.com.

“Those crazy times were very important to forge who we are today,” Gracie added. “A man is the enemy he has, and I have the honor and glory of having Hugo as enemy, because that motivated me to be stronger. One year after he came here to the United States, I´m pro…

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It should come as no suprise that Tom Aspinall is on board for a heavyweight title unification bout against Jon Jones.

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After enjoying a break for the holidays, the interim heavyweight king recently returned to the gym with an eye on a future date against Jones.

“Got to get back to reality now and get back training for the biggest fight in MMA at the moment,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel.

Aspinall has been lobbying for a title unification bout for months, long before Jones returned to action to dispatch Stipe Miocic via third-round technical knockout at UFC 309 on Nov. 16. In the aftermath of the bout, Jones indicated that a hefty financial offer might convince him to accept a fight against an opponent that he has otherwise been reluctant to acknowledge. For now, Aspinall doesn’t have any updates on negotiations for the bout, other than what is happening on his side — and that, of course, is the simple part.

“I …

Billy Elekana will replace Johnny Walker and square off against Bogdan Guskov at UFC 311.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the new light heavyweight booking on Monday. Walker recently revealed that he would be forced to withdraw from UFC 311 due to a “bad injury.”

A native of Apple Valley, California, Elekana has been victorious in seven of his eight professional outings since beginning his career in 2021. The 29-year-old has notably earned victories competing for Professional Fighters League and Legacy Fighting Alliance. In his lone appearance of 2024, Elekana stopped Jureall Simmons in the opening stanza at Lights Out Extreme Fighting 18 this past July.

After suffering a first-round submission loss to Volkan Oezdemir in his Octagon debut, Guskov has rebounded to score back-to-back KO/TKO wins against Zac Pauga and Ryan Spann in UFC competition.

UFC 311 takes place on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles and is headline…

A welterweight showdown pitting ex-champ Leon Edwards against rising contender Jack Della Maddalena has been targeted to headline UFC London.

The booking was initially reported by Benny P, and MMAFighting.com has since confirmed that the bout is in the works. The UFC has not officially confirmed the booking. UFC London — also known as UFC Fight Night 255 — takes place on March 22 at the O2 Arena in London, England, and is also features a light heavyweight bout between Jan Blachowicz and Carlos Ulberg.

Edwards will return to action for the first time since relinquishing the 170-pound strap to Belal Muhammad in a unanimous decision defeat at UFC 304 this past July. Prior to that, “Rocky” had gone unbeaten in 13 consecutive Octagon appearances, a run that included successful title defenses against Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.

Della Maddalena, meanwhile, will carry a 17-fight professional winning streak into the matchup with Edwards. The 28-year-old Aussi…

While Mackenzie Dern entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a fair amount of hype behind her, it has taken some time for her to develop into more of a complete mixed martial artist.

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That evolution was on display in the UFC Vegas 101 headliner on Saturday, as Dern outstruck Amanda Ribas on the feet before eliciting a tapout from her Brazilian foe with an armbar at the 4:56 mark of Round 3. The triumph allowed Dern to avenge a previous defeat against Ribas that occurred in October 2019. Though Dern believes she is improving in all facets, the ultimate goal remains the same.

“I feel like the striking and everything is setting up more of my jiu-jitsu. I feel like when I get a submission, it’s not because I was focusing on being a striker. But I think it means my striking and my takedowns are getting better. It’s giving me more opportunities to still get the fight to the ground,” Dern said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“I’m a…

A video of retired UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov being escorted off an Alaska Airlines flight has gone viral.

It appears staff reported feeling 'uncomfortable' with his apparent grasp of English as he sat in an exit row seat where he would need to assist in an emergency. pic.twitter.com/Bf7S7jLji6

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 12, 2025 Former UFC lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov champion was apparently forced to exit a Frontier Airlines flight following a dispute regarding his seat in an exit row.

In a video uploaded from the TikTok account viceplayer28, Nurmagomedov is seen arguing with a flight attendant about his seat on the plane. The area of disagreement appears to be regarding Nurmagomedov’s ability to assist others in the event of an emergency. While Nurmagomedov did not agree with the flight staff’s assessment, he appears to exit the plane without further incident.

The conversation with the flight attendant, as trans…

Carlos Prates sends a message to Belal Muhammad 👀🔜

(via. IG / @thenightmare170) #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/isshDoAAVI

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 11, 2025

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Carlos Prates (21-6) has lofty aspirations early into his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

Prates recently sent a warning to Belal Muhammad after exchanging a few words with the welterweight champ last year. Muhammad was cornering teammate Charlie Radtke, who was riding a six-fight winning streak when he took on Prates at UFC Louisville in June 2024. “The Nightmare” finished Radtke with a devastating knee to the body in the closing seconds of the opening round. Muhammad’s reaction of a bewilderment immediately after was captured on camera. Prates walked towards the champ and exchanged a few words, which weren’t audible.

Prates recently reminded Muhammad of their exchange, warning him of a potential meeting soon.

“Remember my words champ,…

Giga Chikadze (15-4) is set to return to action against David Onama (13-2).

Chikadze and Onama will trade leather in a featherweight matchup at a UFC Fight Night on April 5 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The matchup was first reported by @MagicM_MMABets on X. Onama subsequently confirmed the pairing via social media.

Chikadze started his UFC journey on a seven-fight unbeaten streak, a run that included a few spectacular finishes. However, the Georgian has since dropped two out of his last three, albeit against top-tier competition. “Ninja” last suffered a unanimous decision loss against Arnold Allen at UFC 304 in July 2024.

Meanwhile, Onama is riding a three-fight winning streak after going 2-2 in his first four UFC bouts. “Silent Assassin” is coming off a unanimous decision win over debutant Roberto Romero at UFC 309 this past November.

The second verse was different from the first.

Mackenzie Dern avenged a 2019 decision defeat to Amanda Ribas and continued to reassert herself as serious contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s strawweight division, as she submitted the Brazilian with an armbar in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 249 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Ribas (13-6, 7-5 UFC) raised the white flag 4:56 into Round 3.

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The rivals traded strikes, takedowns and positional control through two competitive rounds. Ribas grounded the 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championships hold medalist early in the third, only to slowly wander into danger. Dern swept into mount under threat of an armbar and pounded away with elbows and punches before once again isolating a limb. She sat back on the armbar, activated her hips with time running out and left Ribas no choice but to capitulate.

Meanwhile, American Top Team mains…