Martial Arts News

Kelvin Gastelum believes his upcoming clash against Daniel Rodriguez has both of their Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts at stake.

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Gastelum is scheduled to face Rodriguez at UFC on ABC 6 on Saturday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Gastelum’s UFC career has been on somewhat of a downward spiral, as he has gone 2-5 since his interim middleweight title loss to Israel Adesanya in 2019. Gastelum dropped back to welterweight after nine years for his most recent outing, where he suffered a submission loss against Sean Brady in December 2023.

With his “back against the wall,” Gastelum feels a win against Rodriguez is imperative for him to stay with the UFC. Gastelum also believes it’s a must-win situation for his opponent to extend his UFC contract, as well. “D-Rod” is coming off consecutive stoppage losses against Neil Magny and Ian Garry after winning his previous four Octagon appearances. While the thought of not getting his contr…

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Olympic gold medalist and World Freestyle wrestling champion Zaurbek Sidakov is reportedly considering a switch to MMA, according to UFC fighter Muhammadjon Naimov.

A three-time world champion, Sidakov won the gold in Men’s Freestyle Wrestling at 74 kilograms (163 pounds) at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, Sidakov isn’t eligible to compete in the upcoming Paris Olympics as his name didn’t appear on the recently published list of Russian and Belarusian athletes approved to compete by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Russian and Belarusian athletes were initially banned from competing at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, the IOC later permitted the athletes to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) approved by the Individual Neutral Athletes Eligibility Panel (AINERP). Athletes had to prove their dissociation from the war and their countries’ military forces to be eligible…

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Israel Adesanya recently made his prediction for the upcoming UFC on ABC 6 headliner on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

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Robert Whittaker (25-7) will face unranked prospect Ikram Aliskerov (15-1) in the main event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Aliskerov stepped up on nine days’ notice, replacing Whittaker’s originally scheduled opponent Khamzat Chimaev, who withdrew from the card due to severe illness.

Adesanya is picking Whittaker to emerge victorious. “The Last Stylebender” believes Whittaker should be able to hold his own against Aliskerov on the ground, as he was already preparing for an elite wrestler in Chimaev. According to Adesanya, “Bobby Knuckles” will likely dispatch Aliskerov in Round 3 or 4.

“Rob was ready to wrestle this fight anyway, so the wrestling’s gonna be f—-ng top tier in this fight, I think. Striking will be nice. Banger. I like this banger of a fight,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “Also this guy …

The interim strawweight (125-pound) belt will be on the line when Jarred Brooks and Gustavo Balart square off at ONE on Prime Video 24 on Aug. 2.

The Singapore-based promotion on Tuesday announced the bout, which was necessitated by an injury to reigning 125-pound champion Joshua Pacio. ONE on Prime Video 24 takes place at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and airs on Prime Video. According to a release, Pacio will be sidelined indefinitely due to a torn ACL.

Brooks lost the 125-pound title when he was disqualified for using an illegal slam on Pacio in their bout at ONE 166: Qatar this past March. Prior to that, “The Monkey God” had been victorious in his first four promotional appearances. Brooks claimed the divisional throne with a five-round verdict over Pacio in their first meeting at ONE 164 in December 2022.

Balart, a decorated wrestler from Cuba, has won four straight contests under the ONE banner. “El Gladiator” is coming off a split-d…

After a two-year absence due to multiple knee surgeries, former Professional Fighters League light heavyweight champion Antonio Carlos Jr. made a successful return to the cage in April, submitting Simon Biyong in the opening stanza at PFL 2 on April 12.

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While that earned “Cara de Sapato” six points in the PFL standings, four other light heavyweights earned quicker finishes than the Brazilian at the event. That means Carlos Jr. enters his PFL 5 matchup with Alex Polizzi in fifth place, so he will need another impressive showing to assure himself a place in the postseason.

“It never happened in PFL history. Five fighters getting a quick six in the first phase. Nobody is guaranteed [a spot] in the playoffs. It´s like we are all starting now,” Carlos Jr. told Sherdog.com.

Carlos Jr. expects Polizzi to try to use his wrestling to control their fight at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

"He has an excellent folk wrestling technique and prob…

Baissangour Chamsoudinov has parlayed a victory over Cedric Doumbe into long-term security with the Professional Fighters League.

It was announced on Tuesday that Chamsoudinov has signed an exclusive contract with the promotion that will allow him to compete for the PFL, PFL Europe and Bellator Champions Series. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and a date for Chamsoudinov’s next bout was not revealed.

“I'm very happy to have signed with PFL as they are growing more and more just like myself as a developing fighter, so it's perfect,” Chamsoudinov said in a release. “The goal for my career has remained the same since the beginning, to become the best fighter on the planet. I'm here to clean out the division.”

Known as “Baki,” the 22-year-old Frenchman gained notoriety after earning a controversial third-round TKO win against Doumbe at PFL Europe 1 on March 7. While the bout ended when referee Marc Goddard waved off the fight due to a Doumbe toe injury,…

1 Mike, 2 Mikes, 3 Mikes, 4

The fact is every opponent has touched the floor

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5 months until Tyson and I go to war

So in the meantime me & Perry are going to make Tampa roar

I fear no man, anytime, anywhere, anyplace

On July 20th it’s going to be another W, so let us say… pic.twitter.com/SIu6K0VbD5

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) June 18, 2024

The date that once was reserved for Mike Tyson now belongs to Mike Perry.

Perry has agreed to face Jake Paul in a boxing match on July 20 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The fight will be contested over eight rounds in the cruiserweight (200 pounds) division and will be available via pay-per-view through Dazn. Paul was originally slated to meet Tyson on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but that bout was postponed until Nov. 15 due to ulcer-related medical issues for Tyson.

“When Paul vs. Tyson was rescheduled, I knew immediately that I wanted…

Olena Kolesnyk has withdrawn from a proposed featherweight showdown against Sara Collins at Bellator Champions Series Dublin on Saturday.

Sherdog.com confirmed the cancellation with a promotion official on Tuesday. A reason for Kolesnyk’s exit was not disclosed. Since Collins will not remain on the card, Bellator Dublin will proceed with 13 bouts. Bellator Champions Series Dublin takes place at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, and is headlined by a welterweight title tilt between Jason Jackson and Ramazan Kuramagomedov. The card airs in its entirety on Max beginning at noon ET/9 a.m. PT.

Kolesnyk was going to be making her Bellator MMA debut after competing exclusively for Professional Fighters League since 2021. “Cannon” earned regular season wins over Yoko Higashi and Aspen Ladd before falling to Larissa Pacheco in the PFL postseason in 2023.

Collins is undefeated in five professional outings. The 33-year-old Australian rose to prominence with a first-round …

Usman Nurmagomedov will defend his lightweight crown against Alexandr Shabliy in the main event of Bellator Champions Series San Diego on Sept. 7.

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The promotion announced the bout in a release on Tuesday. The event takes place at Pechanga Arena and will air on Max in the United States. It is part of a Bellator itinerary for September that includes events on back-to-back weekends. One week after Bellator San Diego, Johnny Eblen will defend his middleweight belt in a rematch with Fabian Edwards at Bellator Champions Series London.

“September is set to be a huge month for Bellator Champions Series, and we’re continuing to step up our game to deliver incredible cards that we know the MMA community across the globe will love. Both San Diego and London are massive markets for us, and we’re confident we’ll put on a show that the fans in attendance and those watching around the world on Max and Dazn deserve,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a release. “Our …

Mike Davis will not be competing at UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver as originally anticipated.

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The 31-year-old former Dana White's Contender Series competitor revealed via Instagram that he suffered a torn bicep during sparring earlier this month. As a result, “Beast Boy” will no longer face Drew Dober in their proposed lightweight bout on July 13. It’s unclear if Dober will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

“Yes, I need surgery. They have to reattach the tendon by drilling it back into the bone,” Davis wrote. “I’m so f—ing disappointed … I try so f—ing hard … I’m dealt such a s—t hand in life full of skill and talent that I can’t even use.”

Davis recently returned to action following nearly a year-and-a-half absence at UFC Fight Night 239, where he submitted Natan Levy in the second round of their March 16 encounter. The Fusion X-Cel representative has been victorious in his last four Octagon appearances after dropping his promoti…

A middleweight championship rematch between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards will serve as the main event for Bellator Champions Series London on Sept. 14.

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The promotion announced the pairing on Tuesday. Bellator Champions Series London takes place at the OVO Arena Wembley and will mark the organization’s eighth trip to England’s capital city.

Eblen initially defended his title against Edwards at Bellator 299 this past September, winning via third-round knockout. The American Top Team standout has competed once since then, taking a hard-fought split decision over Impa Kasanganay at a PFL vs. Bellator event on Feb. 24. Eblen owns a 15-0 career mark that includes two successful title defenses under the Bellator banner.

Edwards rebounded from the loss to Eblen by taking a unanimous verdict against Aaron Jeffery at Bellator Champions Series Belfast on March 22. The younger brother of UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has won four of his las…

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Ikram Aliskerov believes Robert Whittaker was well aware of his existence even before their fight got booked.

Whittaker was originally scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev in the main event at UFC on ABC 6 on June 22 in Saudi Arabia. Chimaev was forced out of the fight due to severe illness, and Aliskerov stepped up on short notice to replace “Borz”. The weight cut was not an issue for Aliskerov, as he was originally scheduled to face Brazilian debutant Antonio Trocoli at UFC on ESPN 58 on June 15.

While Whittaker was grateful to Aliskerov for stepping up on short notice, “Bobby Knuckes” claimed to have never heard of the Dagestani standout before their fight was announced. A seasoned veteran on the regional scene, Aliskerov believes Whittaker was lying and had repeatedly watched his tape even before their fight got booked. Aliskerov’s lone professional loss came via a first-round knockout against Chimaev under the Brave Combat Federation banner in 20…