Martial Arts News

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Jimmie Rivera now juggles his roles as a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship star and a police officer.

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Rivera parted ways with the Las Vegas-based promotion in August 2021 before signing with BKFC last year. “El Terror” co-headlined BKFC 56 on Saturday in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he suffered a technical knockout loss to Jeremy Stephens at the end of the third frame via doctor stoppage.

When he is not slugging it out in bare knuckle contests, Rivera is also a cop at the Elmwood Park Police Department. Rivera, who admittedly needs to keep himself busy, initially tried his hand at dispatch during the pandemic as a sense of uncertainty engulfed the world of sports.

“I won’t say I have ADHD, but I can’t stop. I always have to work. I’ve always got to do something. I’m all about the grinding. … It’s also very bad mentally, to not do anything. You see people who retire and they don’t do anything. The…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship was feeling especially generous following a memorable evening in the Lonestar State.

When all was said and done, $500,000 in bonus money was given out to the athletes from UFC on ESPN 52 in Austin, Texas, on Saturday night. This included $50,000 “Performance of the Night” checks to eight fighters on the card who secured finishes: Arman Tsarukyan, Jalin Turner, Sean Brady, Dustin Stoltzfus, Miesha Tate, Cody Brundage, Drakkar Klose and Jared Gooden.

Particularly noteworthy in this group were the efforts of Brundage and Klose, who became the first two fighters in UFC history to win bouts via slam KO on the same card. Elsewhere, Tsarukyan stopped Beneil Dariush in just 64 seconds in the evening’s lightweight headliner, while Turner dispatched Bobby Green 2:49 into the opening stanza of their 155-pound co-main event.

The only finisher who didn’t receive a “Performance of the Night” check was Rodolfo Bellato, but that was because he …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Austin was a violent affair.

Nine out of 12 bouts fell short of the distance at UFC on ESPN 52, but the finish in the main event still stole the show. No. 8 ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan exploded into the the Top 5 with a cataclysmic first-round knockout over No. 4 Beneil Dariush to close out one of the best cards of the year at the Moody Center.

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On paper, the fight was between two extremely skilled grapplers with sneaky striking but we never got to see it. Both fighters instantly looked to take center cage and land their power. Tsarukyan (21-3, 8-2 UFC) closed the show fast with a right knee that lined Dariush up perfectly for a flush right hand over top.

Dariush (22-6-1, 16-6-1) hit the ground with a thud before the bout was stopped 1:04 into the round. A year ago, Dariush was the hottest lightweight in the world riding the momentum of an eight-fight win streak. 2023 has been a disaster. Dariu…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 52 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Hardy (-112), Horth (-108)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Turman (-198), Gooden (+164)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result …

Miesha Tate gets back in the win column with a Round 3 submission over Julia Avila 👏🏻 #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/t4KtmQMYV7

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) December 3, 2023

Miesha Tate showed she still has some gas left in the tank at UFC on ESPN 52.

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The former Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight champion dominated in her first appearance in over a year, submitting Julia Avila by rear naked choke in the third round (1:15).

With the win, Tate (20-9, 7-6 UFC) picked up her 20th career victory. It was a win that’s eluded her for years. Many thought Tate was done after suffering back-to-back losses to Ketlen Vieira and Lauren Murphy, but Tate looked like her prime self early against Avila.

Using her patented wrestle-heavy style, Tate quickly took Avila to the mat and rode her for the entire five minutes. Tate peppered her with shots and forced her to survive without breaking a sweat. After two potential …

Former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will lock horns with top contender Amir Albazi in the co-main event of an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on Feb. 24.

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ESPN Deportes was first to report the 125-pound pairing was in the works, and it has since been confirmed by multiple outlets. The UFC Fight Night event is expected to mark the promotion’s return to Mexico City, though a location has yet to be formally announced. Moreno vs. Albazi will reportedly be contested over five rounds.

Moreno’s second reign as flyweight king came to an end at UFC 290, where he dropped a split-decision to Alexandre Pantoja on July 8. The Mexican standout famously faced Deiveson Figueiredo four times in championship bouts from December 2020 to Janaury 2023, going 2-1-1 against his Brazilian rival. His resume also includes triumphs over the like of Kai Kara France (twice), Brandon Royval, Jussier Formiga and Dustin Ortiz.

Albazi will take a six-fight winning st…

An intriguing flyweight bout between Andrea Lee and Miranda Maverick has been added to the UFC 298 pay-per-view event.

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The bout was first announced by Maverick on her social media and later confirmed by MMAFighting.com.

Lee is currently on a three-fight skid. The Louisiana native is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Natalia Silva at UFC 292, which was preceded by defeats against Maycee Barber and Viviane Araujo.

Meanwhile, Maverick (12-5) has won three out of her last four outings and is coming off a Round 3 submission victory against Priscila Cachoeira at UFC 291.

UFC 298 will be headlined by a highly anticipated title fight between reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated contender Ilia Topuria on Feb.17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

A middleweight matchup between Anthony Hernandez and Ikram Aliskerov has been added to the UFC 298 card set for Feb.17.

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The news was first reported MMAFighting.com and subsequently confirmed by both fighters on social media.

Hernandez (11-2) is currently on a four-fight winning streak, most recently securing a Round 3 technical knockout victory against Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Fight Night 223. The Dana White’s Contender series alum kicked off his promotional journey with a 1-2 record, but has turned things around since his loss to Kevin Holland in May 2020.

Meanwhile, Russia's Aliskerov (15-1) is one of the most intriguing prospects to join the UFC’s middleweight division this year. Aliskerov's only professional loss to date came against top contender Khamzat Chimaev back when the two competed under the Brave Fighting Championship banner in 2019. Since then, the KHK MMA Team product has racked up seven consecutive victories — two in the UFC —…

A welterweight matchup between Max Griffin and Jeremiah Wells has been added to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Feb. 10 offering.

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The meeting was first reported by MMAFighting.com and later announced by Griffin in an Instagram post.

Griffin (19-10) has gone 2-2 in his last four outings inside the Octagon, recently losing a unanimous decision to undefeated Ecuadorian prospect Michael Morales in July. “Pain” has recorded notable unanimous decision victories against former champion Carlos Condit and Mike Perry.

Meanwhile, Wells (12-3) is coming off a Round 3 technical submission loss to Carlston Harris back in August. Prior to that loss, the former Classic Entertainment and Sports welterweight champion had racked up four consecutive victories inside the Octagon.

The UFC Fight Night card will be headlined by a middleweight meeting between Jack Hermansson and Dana White's Contender Series alum Joe Pyfer at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

#UPDATE: Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Sports ... James Anthony Hill Jr. is Jamahal Hill's brother. https://t.co/QwVNEtK9Wi

— TMZ (@TMZ) December 1, 2023

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight king Jamahal Hill allegedly had a run-in with the law.

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According to TMZ Sports, Hill was arrested earlier this week and charged with one misdemeanor count of aggravated domestic violence in Kent County, Michigan, which is in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area.

Hill allegedly assaulted his elder brother, Jamahal Anthony Hill Jr., who is reported to have sustained “serious or aggravated injury” as a result. Further details regarding the arrest are yet to be released.

As per records, Hill is set to make an appearance in court on Jan.22

The former champion's management rep, Brian Butler, took to social media yesterday evening to provide a statement regarding the situation. Insisting on his client's …

Our #UFCAustin main event is official! @BeneilDariush comes in at 156 pounds 💪 pic.twitter.com/KcDCe4scaN

— UFC (@ufc) December 1, 2023 After a week off, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to ESPN airwaves with an intriguing lightweight clash, which is now official after the weigh-ins took place.

Headlining UFC on ESPN 52 is a 155-pound fight between Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan. Both headliners made weight for the five-round bout. All other fighters made weight for the card as well, although Melquizael Costa vs. Steve Garcia was canceled after Garcia got ill.

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This marks the first UFC main event fight for Dariush (22-5-1), who has been a promotional mainstay since 2014. The 34-year-old is looking to rebound from a defeat to Charles Oliveira. Prior to the setback, Dariush had won eight straight fights, including decisions over Tony Ferguson and Mateusz Gamrot. The American officially stepped on the scale …

A middleweight meeting between Rodolfo Vieira and Armen Petrosyan has been rebooked for Feb. 10’s UFC Fight Night event. The news was first reported by MMA Fighting.

The middleweights were initially set to compete at UFC Fight Night 231 on Nov. 4. However, the bout failed to materialize at the last minute due to Petrosyan reportedly falling ill and subsequently withdrawing from the match.

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Vieira (9-2), a jiu-jitsu phenom, has won two of his last three outings inside the Octagon. In his most recent outing in April, the Brazilian secured an impressive Round 2 arm-triangle submission against Cody Brundage.

Petrosyan (9-2), on the other hand, has managed to bounce back from his sophomore Ultimate Fighting Championship loss to Caio Borralho in July 2022 and is currently on a two-fight winning streak that saw him secure back-to-back unanimous decision wins against A.J. Dobson and Christian Leroy Duncan.

The Fight Night event on Feb. 10, set to go …