Martial Arts News

Shavkat Rakhmonov and Jack Della Maddalena might have a pivotal welterweight matchup in the works in the near future.

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Della Maddalena called out Rakhmonov for a title eliminator after his third-round stoppage win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 299 on Saturday.


“There’s some scary people in this division, and I’m the f—-ing scariest,” the Australian said in his post-fight interview. Shavkat Rakhmonov, I think me and you could make a hell of a title eliminator. One of the best in the business, let’s go.”

Della Maddalena has been victorious in his first seven Octagon appearances. With the title picture at 170 pounds somewhat murky at the moment, a showdown with Rakhmonov could be ideal. The undefeated Kazakh also expressed interest in the matchup while issuing a solemn warning on X.

“I respect your courage and confidence Jack, but you will face the same fate as my previous opponents,” Rakhmonov wrote.

I respect your …

Dustin Poirier has seemingly altered the lightweight title picture with his victory over Benoit St. Denis in the UFC 299 co-main event on Saturday.

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The lightweight contender was an underdog going into his clash against an unranked St. Denis. After surviving high pace and pressure from the Frenchman in the opening frame, Poirier came from behind to score a brutal knockout in the second round.

Having bounced back from a knockout loss against Justin Gaethje in perfect fashion, Poirier called for a title shot against Islam Makhachev in June.

Islam in June 😤

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) March 10, 2024

Makhachev, meanwhile, was impressed by Poirier’s performance and praised him on social media.

Very impressive Dustin 👏🏻💎

— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) March 10, 2024

Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, later claimed on social media that the reigning lightweight champ “would be gam…

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues wants to run things back with Stamp Fairtex after successfully defending her ONE Championship women’s atomweight muay thai world title against Cristina Morales.

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Rodrigues picked up a unanimous decision win over the Spanish standout in the co-main event at One on Prime Video 20 on International Women’s Day at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand on March 9. Rodrigues subsequently called for a rematch against reigning ONE women’s atomweight world champion Fairtex, who she defeated for the muay thai title in 2020. Rodrigues is also open to a clash against Phetjeeja, who unified the ONE women’s atomweight kickboxing title against Janet Todd in the evening’s main event.

“I’m expecting to fight against Phetjeeja or Stamp Fairtex, if she comes back to muay thai,” Rodrigues said at the post-fight press conference. ‌

Phetjeeja also expressed double-champ aspirations after the event and has her eyes on Rodrigues’ muay thai ti…

Phetjeeja OrMeekhun is eyeing another title after successfully unifying the ONE Championship women’s atomweight kickboxing title with a victory over Janet Todd in the main event at One on Prime Video 20.

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Phetjeeja picked up an emphatic unanimous decision win over Todd, who announced her retirement after the defeat. Phetjeeja was happy to have shared the ring with Todd in her final fight.

“It's such an honor to fight Janet Todd in her retirement fight,” Phetjeeja said at the post-fight press conference. “I’m very happy that I was part of her last fight so she can remember me, and I can remember her. It’s a historic moment for both of us.”

Having extended her promotional winning streak to six with the victory over Todd, Phetjeeja is now looking for double champ glory. The former Thailand National boxing team representative is plotting a clash against ONE women’s atomweight muay thai champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, who successfully defended …

If it seems like Benoit St. Denis faded in the second round of his fight at UFC 299, there may have been a good reason for that.

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After a dominant opening stanza, St. Denis suffered a knockout loss against Dustin Poirier at the 2:32 mark of Round 2 in Saturday’s co-main event at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Afterward, the “God of War” took to Instagram to reveal that antibiotics may have hindered his performance as the fight progressed.

“Unfortunately this evening I was not able to fully express myself,” St. Denis wrote (via Google Translate). “My body didn’t respond after a week of antibiotics to fight an infection.

“Throughout I was present, but my body was absent. It did not react as usual. I only had one round to give you.”

Heading into the bout, St. Denis appeared to have a sore on his head, which led to speculation that the Frenchman may have been dealing with a staph infection. While St. Denis did not give specifics on the nature of his …

If it seems like Benoit St. Denis faded in the second round of his fight at UFC 299, there may have been a good reason for that.

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After a dominant opening stanza, St. Denis suffered a knockout loss against Dustin Poirier at the 2:32 mark of Round 2 in Saturday’s co-main event at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Afterward, the “God of War” took to Instagram to reveal that antibiotics may have hindered his performance as the fight progressed.

“Unfortunately this evening I was not able to fully express myself,” St. Denis wrote (via Google Translate). “My body didn’t respond after a week of antibiotics to fight an infection.

“Throughout I was present, but my body was absent. It did not react as usual. I only had one round to give you.”

Heading into the bout, St. Denis appeared to have a sore on his head, which led to speculation that the Frenchman may have been dealing with a staph infection. While St. Denis did not give specifics on the nature of his …

There was one thing missing from Sean O'Malley’s lopsided victory over Marlon Vera in the UFC 299 main event.

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“Something about not getting the finish doesn’t sit right with me,” O’Malley said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It was just  like, ‘f—k.’ But I also haven’t watched it. Once I watch it back, I think I’ll get a little bit more excited. I aways want to get that finish.”

To be fair, nobody has finished Vera in 33 professional fights. Still, there was plenty to like about O’Malley’s performance outside of that, as he avenged a previous loss to “Chito” with a striking masterclass over 25 dominant minutes.

“I knew I was better than this guy for three and a half years,” O’Malley said. “I knew the first fight was a fluke. I proved that, and it felt good.”

At the conclusion of the event, UFC CEO Dana White praised O’Malley, calling the Arizona native the biggest star in bantamweight history. Meanwhile, O’Malley himself was i…

Based on his own lofty standards, UFC 299 wasn’t the typical Dustin Poirier fight.

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After all, the American Top Team product has faced Conor McGregor three times, fought for undisputed lightweight gold twice and headlined numerous cards over the course of his career. While Benoit St. Denis entered UFC 299 as a rising star on a five-bout finishing streak, he didn’t necessarily fit the profile of the usual Poirier opponent.

“It was kind of a timing thing and the situation of the lightweight division. There wasn’t any big names to fight,” Poirier explained at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I wanted to fight, especially coming off a loss. Nothing was big that they could put together.

“But this guy is on a streak and has a lot of momentum. When they offered it to me, that’s why we did it. There was nothing else at the time, and I honor what I do, man. Eddie Alvarez gave me a shot when he was a former champion and I was an up-and-comer…

When it comes to the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division, it didn’t get any bigger than UFC 299.

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That’s according to UFC CEO Dana White, who began Saturday’s post-fight press conference by praising Miami as a host city.

“The gate was $14.14 million. It was a sellout, 19,165 people. The highest-grossing event ever at the arena,” White said. “We broke our own record, and it is the fourth-highest grossing UFC event of all-time. Miami is on fire. This place is unbelievable. What they’ve done in this state and in this city in the last 10 years is phenomenal.”

In the evening’s featured bout, Sean O'Malley made his first successful bantamweight title defense with a lopsided five-round verdict against Marlon Vera at the Kaseya Center. About the only thing missing from the performance for “Suga” was a finish of his Ecuadorean rival. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, however. O’Malley bloodied and battered his opponent, o…

According to Kyler Phillips, bantamweights from the MMA Lab won’t avoid fighting one another if the situation calls for it.

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Phillips took on veteran Pedro Munhoz on the UFC 299 preliminary card at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday. “Matrix” put on a striking clinic to earn a unanimous decision victory, extending his winning streak to three and his promotional record to 6-1.

Phillips trains at the MMA Lab in Phoenix, which is home to a number of talented bantamweight fighters, including reigning champ Sean O’Malley. Top bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili had previously irked UFC CEO Dana White by refusing a title shot during the reign of good friend and Serra-Longo Fight Team training partner Aljamain Sterling. However, Phillips claims that MMA Lab bantamweights are not averse to the idea of competing against each other. Phillips also notes that with the sheer number of surging bantamweight prospects training at the gym, some of them wil…

Joanna Jedrzejczyk will become the second female fighter ever to be inducted to the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame when she enters the Modern Era wing this summer.

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It was announced during the UFC 299 broadcast that Jedrzejczyk will join Ronda Rousey in the Hall of Fame during the International Fight Week in June. Jedrzejczyk was also in attendance at the Kaseya Center in Miami for the event, supporting fellow polish fighter Mateusz Gamrot, who picked up a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Rafael dos Anjos.

“Joanna is one of the greatest athletes in combat sports history,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a release. “Joanna is an amazing person who has been an incredible champion, ambassador, and role model for women’s MMA, as well as an absolute killer inside the Octagon. She fought the best of the best in her division and never backed down from an opponent. Joanna is one of the toughest athletes we’ve ever seen, and it will be an hon…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Robelis Despaigne is in a rush to attain championship gold after a stellar promotional debut at UFC 299 at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday.

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After starting his career with four first-round knockouts, Despaigne’s UFC contract was announced during the broadcast of his last outing at Fury FC 84 this past December. The former taekwondo Olympic medalist announced his arrival to the promotion by brutally knocking out Josh Parisian while moving backwards 18 seconds into the opening round of their UFC 299 clash. The Cuban star’s last four outings now have a combined fight time of 37 seconds.

At 35 years old, Despaigne is in a hurry to reach a title shot. He has called for a quick turnaround matchup for UFC 300, which goes down on April 13. Additionally, “The Bad Boy” believes he might be four or five outings away from a potential championship opportunity.

“He wants to take step by step but h…