Martial Arts News

Francis Ngannou’s coach, Eric Nicksick, claims Tom Aspinall currently has more “upside” than UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones.

Advertisement

A highly-anticipated clash between Ngannou and Jones never came to fruition under the UFC banner, with “The Predator” exiting the promotion due to failed contract negotiations earlier this year. Jones went to win the vacant strap with a submission win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March. He was slated to defend the strap against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 on Nov. 11.

However, Jones was forced out of the matchup due to injury and Aspinall claimed the interim title with a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in short-notice co-main event at UFC 295. Despite his title win, Aspinall is currently in a complicated position with Jones expected to return sometime next year and face Miocic. The winner of Jones-Miocic would presumably face Aspinall at a later date.

Nicksick, meanwhile, revealed that he’s had his eyes on Aspinal…

Benoit St. Denis believes Justin Gaethje is one of the only fighters in the UFC who is durable enough to go toe-to-toe with him.

Advertisement

St. Denis pulled off his fifth consecutive stoppage win with a brutal first-round KO over lightweight veteran Matt Frevola at UFC 295 on Nov. 11. While St. Denis put all lightweights elites on notice in his post-fight interview, Justin Gaethje, who was present cageside, was shown on a split screen as “God of War” called him out.

St. Denis recently shared on "The MMA Hour” that Gaethje remains his primary focus, as he expects that a clash against “The Highlight” would turn out to be quite memorable.

“It is a fight I want to have,” St. Denis said. “It’s at the top of the list, of course. It’s not his fault, but I do believe they are going to make [Islam] Makhachev against [Charles] Oliveira. Gaethje is a warrior, he likes activity, but he will have to fight again and big dates are coming next year, and he has already …

Chase Hooper is targeting a clash against fellow leg lock specialist Claudio Puelles after his victory over Jordan Leavitt at UFC Fight Night 232 over the weekend.

Advertisement

Hooper and Leavitt went toe to toe in a high-paced grappling affair which ended quickly when “The Dream” capitalized on his opponent’s mistake to lock in a rear-naked choke at the 2:58 mark of Round 1. Hooper, who has a heel hook submission to his name, subsequently called out Puelles in a post-fight interview.

“I’d like someone like a Claudio Puelles. He beat Jordan, I believe, by decision. Then he also has a kneebar win over Clay Guida,” Hooper said. “I just beat Jordan tonight, and I’ve got a calf slicer over Clay in a grappling match. But still, I would love to fight another guy that’s big into leg locks – another big jiu-jitsu guy in the division. Tonight is the perfect example. Those are fun matchups, and I think they’re fun to watch. It’s a style of grappling people can get down w…

5️⃣ DAYS OUT

History will be made in Washington DC 🏆💰

Advertisement

[Friday, November 24th | 8pm ET on ESPN+PPV|🔗 https://t.co/9tors69QSM| #PFLWorldChampionship] pic.twitter.com/JqOmIMDy9L — PFL (@PFLMMA) November 19, 2023

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Championships will have a familiar price point.

The promotion’s signature event will cost $49.99 on pay-per-view via ESPN+, the streaming service recently revealed. That’s the same price as last year’s championship event, which marked PFL’s debut on pay-per-view.

The 2023 PFL Championships takes place at The Anthem Arena in Washington, D.C., on Friday and will feature title bouts in six different weight classes. The seven-bout main card is headlined by a lightweight title clash pitting Olivier Aubin-Mercier against Clay Collard and begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT via ESPN+ pay-per-view. The prelims will stream immediately prior on ESPN+ begnning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. P…

Brendan Allen has laid claim to the No. 1 contender spot at middleweight after his submission win over Paul Craig in the main event at UFC Fight Night 232 on Saturday.

Advertisement

Allen thoroughly dominated Craig from the outset of their bout, notching nearly eight minutes of control time over the course of two rounds before submitting him in the third. “All In” improved his winning streak to six, five of which have come via rear-naked chokes.

Allen called for a title eliminator next in his Octagon interview, targeting top contenders Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier and Khamzat Chimaev.

“I think I deserve it; I’ve earned it,” he said. “I’ve beat everyone they put in front of me, I finished them. Whoever the UFC says that is, I don’t care who. Whittaker, Cannonier, ‘C—shot,’ I don’t care. I’m trying to fight, man. I’m the No. 1 contender. I’m the best in the world, I’m here to prove it. If you say otherwise, come show me, don’t tell me.”

Allen reit…

Trey Ogden wants his full fight purse from UFC Fight Night 232.

Advertisement

After being in control against Nikolas Motta throughout their fight, Ogden sunk in a deep arm-triangle late in the third round. Referee Mike Beltran prompted Motta to react twice before suddenly stepping in, inviting immediate protest from the Brazilian. While it initially seemed like Ogden would get the nod, it was declared a no contest upon review.

This means both fighters are now only eligible for their show money, despite the fact that Ogden seemed to be on his way to winning the fight with two of the judges scoring the first two rounds in his favor.

The Missouri native asked for his full purse in his post-fight interview, and “Samurai Ghost” reiterated that sentiment while speaking to media after the fight.

“I’m just trying to keep my composure and be a professional. Life happens… I’m no stranger to adversity... But this one hurts,” Ogden said. “Records are records, nu…

Ailin Perez has shared details on an alleged assault that took place on her days ahead of her UFC Fight Night 232 clash against Lucie Pudilova.

Advertisement

Perez was seen sporting a black eye and a cut during fight week after being allegedly attacked at the UFC Performance Institute. Despite the attack, Perez went on to score a unanimous decision win over her Czech opponent, which she celebrated by twerking inside the Octagon. She subsequently opened up on the assault in the post-fight interview, confirming that it was a fellow fighter.

According to the Argentine, the attack took place due to comments she made online about the assailant’s performance in a fight. Perez further said that the attack was an attempt to make her pull out of the fight.

“So pretty much, I am someone just like everyone else, like you, like you. I don’t have a personal problem with anyone,” Perez said during a post-fight scrum. “What I did is I stated my opinion online about a fight…

Criticism in his home country drove Indonesia’s Jeka Saragih to defy the odds in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Lucas Alexander.

Advertisement

Fighting on short notice, Saragih’s opponent missed weight by two pounds, giving up 20% of his fight purse. A +350 underdog on some sportsbooks, Saragih handed the Brazilian his first career knockout loss in the first round of their bout at UFC Fight Night 232 to score a huge upset.

Saragih got his UFC call despite coming up short against India’s Anshul Jubli on the debut season of “Road to UFC,” the promotion’s venture to scout Asian talent. Although he scored two finishes en route to the finals, Saragih’s people back home seemingly didn’t have much faith in his skills.

The fact that no Indonesian fighters made the cut in the second season of the show led some people to believe that the country simply lacked Octagon-caliber fighters. Although his own family and friends doubted him, Saragih used it…

Brendan Allen closed the show at UFC Fight Night 232 in style, and he received a little extra spending money for his work in the Octagon.

Allen received one of four $50,000 “Performance of the Night” awards handed out by the promotion on Saturday for his third-round submission of Paul Craig in Saturday’s middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “All In” forced his Scottish foe to tap to a rear-naked choke 38 seconds into Round 3 for his sixth straight victory.

Elsewhere, Amanda Ribas garnred $50,000 for a successful return to the strawweight division. After a slow start against Luana Pinheiro, Ribas rallied to put her foe away with a spinning wheel kick and follow-up punches at the 3:53 mark of Round 3.

Joanderson Brito struggled early against the positional control of Jonathan Pearce in their preliminary featherweight scrap, but the Brazilian turned the tables on his opponent when he forced a tapout with a ninja choke 3:54 into the second period. Tha…

Brendan Allen looks like more and more of a problem for the rest of the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division.

The Kill Cliff Fight Club representative continued his ascent at 185 pounds, as he dismissed Paul Craig with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 232 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Craig (17-7-1, 9-7-1 UFC) conceded defeat 38 seconds into Round 3, losing via submission for just the second time in his 25-fight career.

Advertisement

Allen (23-5, 11-2 UFC) averted potential disaster in the first round when he escaped a calf slicer from the former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion. From there, it was all one-way traffic. Allen dictated the terms in their grappling exchanges, hacked open an ugly cut on the Scotsman’s left eyebrow with an elbow strike and methodically established himself as the better fighter. He ripped into Craig with a two-punch combination at the start of the th…

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 232 coverage will begin Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Estevam (-125), Johnson (+105)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Motta (-135), Ogden (+114)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Perez (-180), Pudilova (…

Joanderson Brito can exploit the slightest opening.

The Chute Boxe rep took another step forward in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division, as he disposed of Jonathan Pearce with a ninja choke in the second round of their featured UFC Fight Night 232 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Brito (16-3-1, 4-1 UFC) drew the curtain 3:54 into Round 2.

Advertisement

After a competitive first round, Pearce (14-5, 5-2 UFC) appeared to seize the reins with a takedown, ground-and-pound and top control in the middle stanza. Brito eventually built a base, returned to his feet and caught the choke as he moved to escape. His squeeze was powerful and true, and Pearce had no choice but to tap.

Meanwhile, Twin Wolves MMA product Jose Johnson subdued fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alum Chad Anheliger with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their bantamweight battle. In his first appearance in more than a year, Anheliger (12-7, 1-2 UFC)…