Martial Arts News

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s flyweight division should have a clear contender when the dust settles.

Per the UFC on Thursday, Erin Blanchfield (12-1) and Manon Fiorot (11-1) will throw down in a pivotal women’s flyweight pairing on March 30. It has not yet been determined if this matchup will serve as the headliner for the unnumbered UFC on ESPN card that will take place at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It is the first bout announced on its lineup thus far.

Since a contentious split decision setback at Invicta FC 34 fellow future UFC fighter Tracy Cortez, Blanchfield has not looked back, rattling off nine straight wins. Her streak includes six in a row in the Octagon, dispatching the likes of J.J. Aldrich, Molly McCann and Jessica Andrade—all by submission—as she worked her way up the divisional ladder. Most recently, “Cold Blooded” captured a unanimous verdict over former title challenger Taila Santos.

While Blanchfield has strung toge…

[embedded content] Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez will get a chance to settle the score in a few months.

The news was first announced by Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White on social media on Thursday night. The five-round co-main event will take place at the Mexico City Arena in Mexico City on Feb. 24 at UFC Fight Night 237.

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Ortega (15-3, 1 NC) and Rodriguez (19-4, 1 NC) first crossed paths in UFC Long Island in July 2022, where “T-City” sustained a fight-ending shoulder injury a little after four minutes into the opening frame. As a result, Rodriguez was awarded a victory, which spurred him into an interim title opportunity. Since their meeting, “El Pantera” has competed twice, while Ortega has been out of action entirely, ensuring a full recovery for his shoulder.

Following his win over Ortega, Rodriguez went on to claim interim featherweight strap by tapping Josh Emmett with a triangle choke at UFC 284. The Mexican standout fell shor…

Another banger added to #UFC298 🔥@RobWhittakerMMA vs @BorrachinhaMMA official for February 17th! pic.twitter.com/HN1FRyNDLJ

— UFC (@ufc) December 22, 2023

UFC 298 is shaping up to be a treat for mixed martial arts fans with the addition of two riveting matchups.

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According to an announcement made by Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White on Thursday, UFC 298 will feature former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (24-7) taking on Paulo Costa (14-2) while rising Irish star Ian Garry (13-0) will face his first Top 10 opponent in No. 8 ranked welterweight Geoff Neal (15-5).

Whittaker has gone 1-2 in his last three Octagon appearances, most recently suffering a Round 2 technical knockout against Dricus Du Plessis in their meeting at UFC 290. The former champion will look to make a return to winning ways if he hopes to earn another shot at the middleweight title.

Meanwhile, Costa last appeared inside the …

The first fights for #UFC300 are OFFICIAL 🚨@Jiri_BJP vs @Rakic_UFC@NoBickal vs @CodyBrundage185 pic.twitter.com/lFMQDz4PFR

— UFC (@ufc) December 22, 2023

Fans now have a list of confirmed matchups for the historic UFC 300 pay-per-view, set to go down April. 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White took to social media on Thursday to reveal a trio of fights that will be featured on the much-anticipated card.

Former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka (29-4) will take on Aleksandar Rakic (14-3), former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (23-4) will debut at featherweight against Calvin Kattar (23-7) and Bo Nickal (5-0) will toe the line with Factory X product Cody Brundage (10-5).

Prochazka is coming off a Round 2 technical knockout loss against Alex Pereira in their vacant light heavyweight title meeting at UFC 295. Rakic, on the other hand, will return to the …

They needed all five rounds. No one expected less.

Tawanchai P.K. Saenchaimuaythaigym retained his undisputed One Championship featherweight muay thai title with a unanimous decision over Superbon Singha Mawynn in the ONE Friday Fights 46 headliner on Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. All three ringside judges scored it for the defending champion.

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Superbon leaned on a well-honed counter game that was equal parts craft and power, drawing a number of respectful smiles out of his opponent. Tawanchai answered with thunderous kicks to the body and lead leg, maintained a steady pace and seemed to pull away in the championship rounds. Thudding push kicks to the midsection kept Superbon off-balance, even as the two men neutralized one another in other areas. Tawanchai proved superior in terms of output when it mattered most, turning back the challenger with a series of kicks to all levels and occasional close-range elbows in the fifth …

Despite his record-tying streak of Octagon futility, Tony Ferguson has no intention of hanging up his gloves.

Ferguson (25-10) suffered a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Paddy Pimblett on Saturday at UFC 296. It was his seventh straight loss in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, tying B.J. Penn for the longest such streak in the promotion’s history.

In spite of that streak, which includes several lopsided beatdowns and one chilling knockout via front kick, and despite UFC CEO expressing his wish that Ferguson would retire, a defiant “El Cucuy” this week expressed his disinclination to call it quits. The 39-year-old Californian this week wrote an Instagram post that read in part, “Not retiring casuals.”

Prior to his current skid, Ferguson (25-10) was riding the longest winning streak at lightweight and was considered the main threat to former champ Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2019. However, despite multiple attempts the matchup always fell thro…

While Belal Muhammad is the most logical opponent for Leon Edwards’ next title defense, the champ’s coach Dave Lovell would prefer Gilbert Burns.

Edwards (22-3) defended his strap in a dominant decision win against Colby Covington (17-4) at UFC 296 last weekend. Many believe Muhammad, who is unbeaten in his last outings, deserved the shot over Covington, who hadn’t fought since March 2022.

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While Muhammad weighed in as the backup fighter for UFC 296, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White wasn't clear about Muhammad receiving the next welterweight title shot during his post-fight comments.

Interestingly, Edwards’ coach Lovell would like for his pupil to face Gilbert Burns, whom Muhammad defeated via an emphatic decision in May. While Lovell knows it’s unlikely to come about, he believes “Durinho” presents a more marketable fight than Muhammad, who has often been criticized for being a decision fighter.

“Dana didn’t announce that it would b…

Aljamain Sterling recently opened up further on what kept him out of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last Saturday at UFC 296.

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As Sterling and his team rolled up for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s final pay-per-view of 2023, they were told that there were no tickets. The former bantamweight champ immediately brought the situation to light on social media.

Sorry to the fans asking to take pictures while we were stuck outside. Just a bit annoyed that we found out our tickets were pulled, after arriving to the arena. #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/d5VY10YmGG

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 17, 2023 Asked about Sterling’s ticket mishap, UFC president CEO Dana White said that “Funk Master” might have tried to acquire tickets through a sponsor and he had no idea why they might have been pulled. Sterling subsequently responded to White’s comments on his YouTube channel.

“I’m not trying to fan the flames; I thin…

Alexandre Pantoja may have closed out his rivalry with Brandon Royval for good, but he claims there is no enmity there.

Pantoja (27-5) successfully defended his flyweight strap against Royval (15-7) via unanimous decision in a lopsided grappling-heavy affair at UFC 296 last weekend. This marked Pantoja’s second win over Royval after a submission in 2021, from which “Raw Dawg” bounced back with three consecutive wins to earn a shot at the title.

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While Pantoja is happy to have defended his strap for the first time, he feels for Royval as he understands the profundity of a loss. In an appearance on "The MMA Hour," Pantoja said:

“He’s a very nice kid. He worked so hard to [get] to that moment. Maybe people think I’m [full of] s*** right now, but I’m very sad for Royval. He worked so hard for that moment. I know it’s not just about Royval, he has a lot of people on his side. I lost a couple times and when I lose, my family loses with me, my kids lose wit…

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Rizin Fighting Federation has added three more bouts to its annual New Year’s Eve bash.

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA bantamweight Vince Morales (13-7) will clash against Japanese veteran Yuki Motoya (34-10). The matchup was made while Morales was in Japan serving as a sparring partner for Kai Asakura, who handed Motoya a knockout loss at Rizin 42 in May.

Motoya has since bounced back with a TKO win over Kosuke Terashima under the Deep banner last month. Meanwhile, “Vandetta” has picked up to stoppage wins in the regional circuit since being released from the UFC on a two-fight skid last year.

Morales believes his Rizin 45 appearance will be a step towards bridging the gap between Western and Asian MMA. The 33-year-old said during a special broadcast on ABEMA last week:

“I'm incredibly grateful to Kai Asakura, Team Asakura, and Rizin for giving me the opportunity to fight here. Being able to compe…

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming milestone now has an official time and place.

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During the post-fight press conference for UFC 296 last weekend, UFC CEO Dana White announced that UFC 300 will take place on April 13, 2024, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. As is customary for numbered UFC events, the prelims will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+, with the main card to follow on pay-per-view through ESPN+. The early prelims are set to start at 6 p.m. ET, the undercard at 8 p.m. and the main card at 10 p.m.

While no bouts have yet been added to the card, speculation and rumor have attached many of the promotion’s biggest names to the event. White promised to awe fans starting with the first preliminary matchup of the night.

“Well, think about tonight and the buzz and the energy about tonight’s card, and think about the stuff I’m telling you guys about [UFC 299 in] Miami. So, we’ve got to beat this, Miami and a…

Thank you @JoshEmmettUFCGod bless you brother

pic.twitter.com/VUPEWLXsxn

— Bryce Mitchell (@ThugnastyMMA) December 18, 2023

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Bryce Mitchell believes he might have died if Josh Emmett had followed up with any more shots after brutally knocking out “Thug Nasty” at UFC 296 last weekend.

Mitchell stepped in on short notice against Emmett, replacing Giga Chikadze, who was forced out due to an injury. Mitchell was sent to the shadow realm by Emmett with an overhand right in one of the most devasting punch knockouts in UFC history.

However, Mitchell believes it could have been much worse had Emmett not restrained himself from throwing follow-up shots, which is a natural instinct for many fighters.

“You know got a lot of work left to do but that's what I'm up to. But I wanted to let y'all know that I am so happy with Josh Emmett,” the 29-year-old said in a video released on social media. “Because right after he kn…