Martial Arts News

𝙍𝘼𝙕𝙃𝘼𝘽𝘼𝙇𝙄 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙋𝙎 𝙆𝙇𝙀𝘽𝙀𝙍 𝙄𝙉 𝙍𝙊𝙐𝙉𝘿 1️⃣‼️

The 𝑵𝑬𝑾 RIZIN Featherweight Champion!

Advertisement

[ #RIZINOtokoMatsuri | Live on RIZINtv ]🔗 https://t.co/SJYljaZ7L1 pic.twitter.com/h0WWgIfuyi — RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) May 4, 2025

A new Rizin Fighting Federation featherweight champion was crowned in quick and emphatic fashion in the main event of Rizin “Otoko Matsuri” in Tokyo. Undefeated Kyrgyz standout Rajabali Shaidullaev knocked out defending champion Kleber Koike Erbst in just 62 seconds to become Rizin’s newest 145-pound titleholder.

Shaidullaev (14-0, 4-0 Rizin) traded strong leg kicks with Koike (34-8-1, 1 NC; 9-3, 1 NC Rizin) early in the fight before marching forward and backing Koike up against the ropes. He stunned Koike with a right hook to the temple and then dropped him face-first to the mat with a second right hand that landed on the top of Koike’s head. Koike clinging to consciousness, referee Minoru Toyonaga waved off the …

Reinier de Ridder finishes Bo Nickal in round 2! #UFCDesMoines pic.twitter.com/LrDXr1QT2m

— Haduucken III (@HaduuckenIII) May 4, 2025

The headliner and co-headliner stole the show at UFC Des Moines.

Advertisement

Four performance bonuses were handed at the event, also known as UFC on ESPN 67, which went down at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Saturday.

Cory Sandhagen (18-5) and Deiveson Figueiredo (24-5) clashed in a bantamweight affair in the main event. “Sandman” was a massive favorite and justified the odds with a dominating “Performance of the Night” award to bag $50,000. Sandhagen outgunned Figueiredo in every aspect before the former flyweight champ visibly covered up in agony due to a knee injury in the second round.

Former two-division One Championship champ Reinier de Ridder (20-2) earned another POTN bonus for his finish of Bo Nickal (7-1) in the co-headliner. Ridder stopped Nickal with a massive knee to the bo…

Cory Sandhagen buried an all-time great and kept his hopes alive for a shot at the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight crown.

“Sandman” appeared to be well on his way to a lopsided win against Deiveson Figueiredo when the Brazilian was forced to tap out due to a knee injury in the second round of their UFC on ESPN 67 main event on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Figueiredo (24-5-1, 13-5-1 UFC) asked out of the match 4:08 into Round 2.

Advertisement

Sandhagen (18-5, 11-4UFC) had taken care of business right up to the finish. He scrambled into top position after being taken down in the first round and made Figueiredo pay for repeated heel hook attempts with heavy ground-and-pound. A similar scene had begun to play out in Round 2. There, with both men fishing for leg locks, Sandhagen rolled into top position while still entangled with the two-time flyweight champion. The torque proved to be too much for Figueiredo’s left knee, …

Sherdog's live UFC Des Moines coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC on ESPN 67. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Petrovic (-230), Miller (+190)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

Advertisement

Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Petersen (-265), Mayes (+215)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PR…

Yana Santos met aggression with precision and held her ground in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight division.

The onetime Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder outmaneuvered and outstruck Miesha Tate for 10-plus minutes, then withstood a late rally from “Cupcake” to post a unanimous decision in their feature UFC on ESPN 67 prelim on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Santos (16-8, 6-5 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28s from all three members of the assigned judiciary.

Advertisement

Tate (20-10, 7-7 UFC) was overzealous initially, as she crashed forward behind wild punching combinations. Santos kept her composure and answered with sharp jabs, slashing crosses and damaging leg kicks. Tate finally executed a takedown a little more than a minute into the third round and peppered the Russian with ground-and-pound before advancing to the back. There, her progress stalled. Santos slipped out of repeated rear-naked choke attem…

One Championship had to stamp out an event when its marquee star suffered another injury.

On Friday, the organization sent out a press release announcing that its August show in Denver has been pushed back a year. The expectation is that organization will travel to Colorado in 2026 instead, at the same location of the Ball Arena. ONE atomweight champ Stamp Fairtex re-injured her knee, and she has vacated her belt and allowed interim titleholder Denice Zamboanga to claim the undisputed throne.

Advertisement

ONE head Chatri Sityodtong included his own statement in the release, confirming the details while wishing the former champ well.

“We are saddened to hear of the injury setback to Stamp and wish her nothing but the best in her road to recovery,” the ONE founder wrote. “After looking at multiple alternate headlining options that unfortunately did not come together, we have made the difficult decision to move our Denver event to June 26.”

The multi-sport c…

[embedded content] Cory Sandhagen believes he will be on the cusp of a title shot with a spectacular performance on Saturday.

Sandhagen (17-5) headlines UFC Des Moines on Saturday against Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4-1) at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. “The Sandman” considers himself worthy of the next bantamweight title shot if he beats the former flyweight champ in emphatic fashion. Sandhagen also notes that he is the only top contender in his weight class that hasn’t fought champ Merab Dvalishvili yet.

Dvalishvili is set to defend his title against Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 in June, in a rematch of their 2024 encounter where Dvalishvili claimed a decision. If O’Malley prevails, Sandhagen believes a matchup against “Sugar” would delight fans. Sandhagen appeared on Demetrious Johnson’s podcast “Mightycast” on Thursday, where he broke down the title picture in his division and where he thinks he stands up against the past and present beltholders.

“If I …

Francis Ngannou has spoken out about the reports of a motorcycle accident in Cameroon that claimed the life of one woman.

According the various news outlets in the region, Ngannou was allegedly driving a motorcycle through the streets of Yaounde, Cameroon, during Easter weekend when he struck a 17-year-old woman. Ngannou reportedly rushed her to the hospital and paid of all the medical expenses for the woman. However, it was already too late, and the woman died due to her injuries.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion put out a statement to TMZ on Friday, expressing his grief over the matter while stating that he will provide support to her family going forward.

“From the very beginning, I have been by the family's side, offering support, comfort, and deepest condolences during this time,” the heavyweight told TMZ. “I've met with them privately to share in their grief, and I will continue to stand with them every step of the way. I carry their pai…

Our #UFCDesMoines main event is official 🚨@CorySandhagenX hits the scale at 135.5 pounds! pic.twitter.com/6efuEV6Sbh

— UFC (@ufc) May 2, 2025 The Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to Iowa is now official after the UFC Des Moines weigh-ins took place.

The main event of UFC on ESPN 67 is now official. Bantamweight contenders Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo both made weight for the five-round fight. The rest of the 12-fight card also made weight, although Julianna Miller needed two attempts to hit the flyweight mark.

Advertisement

The always exciting Sandhagen (17-5) is looking to rebound after a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov snapped a three-fight win streak. "Sandman" was on the verge of a title shot following wins over Rob Font, Marlon Vera and Yadong Song. However, the 33-year-old will need to put together another streak if he hopes to get a shot at gold. The American officially weighed 135.5 pounds for the headline bout.<…

The First Round Of the 2025 #PFLWorldTournament has been nothing but STRAIGHT ACTION ✅

The Light Heavyweight & Heavyweights were no different tonight 😤

Advertisement

PFL World Tournament 4 | Full Fight Highlights pic.twitter.com/oYuJy47R0j — PFL (@PFLMMA) May 2, 2025

Phil Davis hadn’t won a fight in over three years, but the former Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion reminded everyone why he’s called “Mr. Wonderful.” Trailing on the scorecards after the opening round, Davis starched former Professional Fighters League king Rob Wilkinson with a bomb of a right hand to secure his spot in the PFL World Tournament semifinals at PFL 2025 World Tournament: First Round 4.

Davis' second-round TKO (0:51) capped off the main event from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and put the former NCAA DI wrestling national champion back on the big stage. Davis (25-7, 1 NC) tried to find his range in Round 1 but found it hard to ca…

Sherdog's live PFL 2025 World Tournament: First Round 4 coverage will begin Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:

Advertisement

Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the r…

It was a successful trip to Kansas City this past weekend for for Diego Lima.

Advertisement

The Chute Boxe leader returned to Brazil on Tuesday after cornering Ian Garry to a unanimous decision triumph over Carlos Prates in the UFC on ESPN 66 main event and shared some of the strategy that helped propel “The Future” to victory.

“Prates is such a tough striker,” Lima told Sherdog.com. “Our main goal was to keep moving and avoid his main strikes as well as eliminate his left side. That's why the high kicks were so important to inhibit his straight punches and keep him aware that he could be high kicked. Everything happened as we planned and, in my opinion, he won Rounds 1,2,3 and 4.”

Lima confirmed that Garry emerged from the fight injury free, so he will be ready to be the backup fighter for the welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 on May 10.

Lima also commented on the controversy that occurred with Fighting …