Martial Arts News

A welterweight clash pitting Rinat Fakhretdinov against Nursulton Ruziboev has been targeted for UFC 308.

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Both fighters confirmed the bout on social media following an initial report from Marcel Dorff. UFC 308 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26 and is also expected to include a heavyweight tilt between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov.

According to Fakhretdinov, the booking was not ideal for either fighter.

“Know me and Nursultan were against this fight,” Fakhretdinov wrote on Instagram (via translate). “This fight is not profitable for anyone. I will tell you, we did everything possible to prevent this fight, but we are only fighters. The league always has the final word, so don't throw stones at us. The circumstances have turned out to be. The league has decided for us. But nothing changes, as we were friends with Nursulton, we will be friends, and after the fight I will come to visit him for pilaf (I hope he will invite me)…

Iasmin Lucindo will look to add a signature victory to her record when she meets Marina Rodriguez at UFC 307.

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Ag.Fight was first to report the strawweight booking, and Lucindo has since confirmed the fight on social media. UFC 307 takes place on Oct. 5 and is expected to be held in Salt Lake City, though the location has not been formally announced. A women’s bantamweight title fight between Raquel Pennington and Julianna Pena has been rumored for the event.UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! After falling to Yazmin Jauregui in her promotional debut, Lucindo has racked up three consecutive victories in UFC competition. Most recently, the 22-year-old Brazilian outpoined former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 301 on May 4.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, has faced many of the division’s top talents during her 13-bout UFC tenure. The muay thai specialist last appeared at UFC 300, where she dropped a split decision …

Muhammad Mokaev just wants to fight for Ultimate Fighting Championship gold and is not concerned about how much he is paid to do it.

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Mokaev takes on Angolan contender Manel Kape at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, on Saturday. Mokaev revealed that his upcoming bout is the last one on his current UFC contract.

Mokaev doesn’t have any expectations for his expected contract renewal, and “The Punisher” is willing to have a one-fight contract if that accelerates his path to a title shot.

Mokaev reiterated his grouse with Steve Erceg getting the last flyweight title shot against Alexandre Pantoja after just three fights in the promotion. Mokaev notes that he didn’t receive the gold bid despite having more finishes in the UFC than “Astro Boy” had total fights in the promotion then.

UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! Mokaev now just wants a title shot as soon as possible and claims his fight purse isn’t a concern.…

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Christian Leroy Duncan’s walkout music was made by his late friend, Joel Daniel Westcarr.

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Leroy Duncan is scheduled to face veteran Gregory Rodrigues at UFC 304 in front of a home crowd in Manchester, England, on Saturday. In a "UFC Connected" video, Duncan was seen visiting the grave of Westcarr, who he refers to as Zozo.

“Come to visit my friend Zozo. We’re here at his resting place, which is a place that I always come to,” Duncan said. “He was a very talented music artist. And we’d always say no matter which way we go, we’re gonna see each other at the top.”

Tributes flood in for much loved Joel Westcarr, 20, who was killed in a motorbike crash https://t.co/6Sv2wJ4biQ pic.twitter.com/4Nvw4BoihM

— Daniel Chipperfield (@DanChipperfield) April 4, 2016

Westcarr was a musician who passed away in a tragic motorbike accident on April 3, 2016 at the age of 20. Duncan, who had just started his amateur…

Curtis Blaydes considers his upcoming interim heavyweight title fight against Tom Aspinall at UFC 304 the real title fight in the division.

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Lineal champ Jon Jones has been sidelined since pulling out of a scheduled title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November 2023. Aspinall knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in a short-notice title fight at UFC 295 and has since been calling for a unification bout against Jones. However, Jones remains adamant on returning to action against Miocic, who hasn’t fought in over three years. With both Jones and Miocic also teasing retirement after their planned bout, Blaydes doesn’t consider the potential matchup a legitimate title fight.

Blaydes has previously admitted that Aspinall should ideally have been fighting Jones in a title unifier instead of defending his interim strap. However, Blaydes considers his upcoming bout against “Honey Badger” the real title fight at heavyweight. For the perennially elite cont…

Belal Muhammad believes Leon Edwards and his camp are afraid going into their upcoming UFC 304 clash.

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Muhammad challenges Edwards for the welterweight title in the main event at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, on Saturday. Muhammad recently ran into Edwards and his crew in an elevator. “Remember the Name” claims Edwards’ coach, Dave Lovell, was the only one talking trash and hopes he attends the press conference.

“I just saw him right now in the elevator. He looked like he was afraid,” Muhammad told MMAjunkie.com. “Him and his brother and his coach, they all look like cowards. His coach was trying to talk a little bit of trash, so I’m hoping that his coach is at the press conference, because I know Leon’s not gonna be able to talk.”

UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! According to Muhammad, he was with another teammate when Edwards walked into the elevator with a crew of six to seven people. While Muhammad chose …

Finally, the 12 to 6 elbow rule has been eliminated and the grounded opponent rule has been changed.

Andy Foster does it again. pic.twitter.com/uEuY930Mlt

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 23, 2024

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The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts will change in a couple key areas this November.

On Tuesday, the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports voted unanimously to eliminate a ban on 12-to-6 elbows and update the definition of what constitutes a grounded fighter. The committee included the likes of California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster, Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Jeff Mullen, veteran officials Herb Dean, John McCarthy and Marc Goddard and judges Derek Cleary and Sal D’Amato, among others. Ariel Helwani was first to report the changes on social media.

The downward elbows were often a point of confusion for fighters because it could be difficult to determi…

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Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou appears to be on the verge of making his promotional debut with the Professional Fighters League.

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Ngannou, who signed with the PFL last year, has yet to make his debut as he focused on boxing fights against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. “The Predator” discussed his MMA future during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Tuesday. When asked about his time in boxing and the focus on his upcoming plans, Ngannou revealed that the PFL is working on his first fight with the promotion, and he revealed a potential opponent, date and location for his fight.

According to Ngannou, his relationship with the PFL is “pretty good,” and they are working on his debut to take place against 2023 heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira.

UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! “It’s working pretty good, we have a good relationship. I will be fighting by the e…

It appears that the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s highly-anticipated event at The Sphere will have some competition.

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According to a report from ESPN, Canelo Alvarez is in the process of finalizing a deal for a super middleweight title defense against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, UFC 306 — also known as Noche UFC — is scheduled to take place on that same day at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Alvarez is widely regarded as boxing’s biggest star and has headlined fight cards on Mexican Independence Day on six different occasions. The Guadalajara, Mexico, native has won titles at 154, 160 and 175 pounds and has won his last four fights.

UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! While UFC 306 isn’t likely to have anyone on the card to match the star power of Alvarez, the event has repeatedly been touted as a can’t-miss spectacle by UFC CEO Dana White.

“I’m already $17 million into…

These new shorts for Leon Edwards and Paddy Pimblett are 🔥#UFC304 | SATURDAY | 10 ET | ESPN+ PPV pic.twitter.com/1o2qdgv6CB

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 23, 2024

Reigning welterweight champion Leon Edwards and popular lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett will have a fresh, custom look for their fights at UFC 304 on Saturday.

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Both Edwards and Pimblett will be fighting on home soil at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England. Edwards will defend his 170-pound belt against Belal Muhammad in the main event, while Pimblett will lock horns with Bobby Green on the main card.UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! Edwards will wear special green shorts for his bout, while Pimblett will wear custom orange shorts for his fight. The styles were initially revealed by Chris De Santiago on social media. They can also be viewed on website for Venum, which is the official outfitter of the UFC.

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Patrick Mix will defend his bantamweight crown against Leandro Higo in the Bellator Champions Series Paris headliner on Nov. 16.

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The promotion announced the pairing on Tuesday. In the co-main event, Baissangour Chamsoudinov will square off against Oliver Enkamp at welterweight. Bellator Champions Series Paris takes place at the Adidas Arena in the French capital and will air in its entirety on Max in the United States beginning at 11 a.m. ET/ 8 a.m PT.

“Patchy” will take a seven-bout promotional winning streak into his second official title defense. The 30-year-old New Yorker endured some struggles in his last outing but emerged with a split-decision triumph in a rematch against Magomed Magomedov at the most recent Bellator Paris event on May 17. Mix’s record also includes notable triumphs over the likes of Sergio Pettis, Raufeon Stots, Kyoji Horiguchi and James Gallagher.

UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now! Hig…

Sean O'Malley’s went off on Conor McGregor after the Irish star mocked at the bantamweight champion’s explanation for failing a drug test.

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O’Malley has tested positive for the banned substance ostarine more than once in his career. The most recent instance occurred in 2019, which led to a suspension. However, O’Malley has consistently denied having used PEDs, claiming the trace amounts found in his sample must have been due to tainted supplements.

While O’Malley couldn’t pin down the supplements that could have contained ostarine, he has found a new potential explanation for his failed tests. O’Malley claims recent studies suggest that ostarine can be transferred through sweat, possibly through sharing garments or gear. “Sugar” believes Ostarine was transferred to him while he was training at another gym, where ostarine use by athletes was public knowledge. O’Malley believes teammates Kyler Phillips and Augusto Mendes, who both faced suspensions fo…