Martial Arts News

Alex Pereira DENIES avoiding the Magomed Ankalaev fight:

“You gotta sort that with the organization…

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It’s not my fault that Ankalaev has such a boring style of fighting that nobody wants to watch.”

🎥 @KevinI #UFC #MMA #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/42OS04SuHr

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 28, 2024 Alex Pereira maintains that he never turned down an offer to fight Magomed Ankalaev.

Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event at UFC 307 on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. While he is riding a five-fight winning streak with four finishes, Rountree surpassing Ankalaev for a title shot was nonetheless a bit of a surprise.

Currently unbeaten in his last 12 outings, Ankalaev will face Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. While many consider Ankalaev the rightful contender, Pereira previously hinted that the R…

A picture-perfect knee made Fares Ziam $50,000 richer on Saturday in Paris.

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The Kill Cliff FC-trained Frenchman secured one of four “Performance of the Night” bonuses awarded by the promotion at UFC Fight Night 243 for his third-round knockout of Matt Frevola in a featured lightweight encounter. Ziam rendered his opponent unconscious — dislodging his mouthpiece in the process — with a vicious knee in close quarters at the 2:59 mark of Round 3.

Elsewhere, Bryan Battle overwhelmed Kevin Jousset with striking volume to garner a $50,000 check in a welterweight bout. “The Ultimate Fighter 29” winner put Jousset on his heels for good in the second stanza and sealed his victory with one final barrage at the 3:47 mark of the period.

Meanwhile, Morgan Charriere did his best to match countryman Ziam with a highlight-reel knockout of Gabriel Miranda in a featherweight showcase. “The Last Pirate” caught his foe off guard with a sneaky left hook 27 secon…

Renato "Moicano" Carneiro could be a dark horse contender for "Fighter of the Year." With wins over Drew Dober and Jalin Turner, Carneiro cemented himself as an elite lightweight contender with a bloody beatdown of Benoit St. Denis in front of thousands of opposing French fans in the UFC Fight Night 243 main event Saturday at the Accor Arena in Paris.

Carneiro (20-5-1) battered St. Denis throughout the opening stanza, busting his eyes and nose open with elbows and nasty ground-and-pound. The “God of War” was forced to cover up and wait out the bell to find peace. St. Denis’ corner pleaded with him to wake up or he would be humiliated in front of his hometown fans, but there was little he could do to slow down the Brazillian.

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Caneiro kept the leather on St. Denis in the second round. With both eyes swollen and blood profusely leaking out his face, St. Denis sat on the stool, stunned, as his corner worked to clean him up. Their work was impressive, but…

THE SCOTTISH TWISTER RETURNS! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Stevie Ray stops Lewis Long via submission in front of his family and his home crowd! #PFLGlasgow | LIVE NOW ON DAZN pic.twitter.com/J5oxpXNQIq

— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) September 28, 2024 PFL Europe 3 determined the 2024 playoff finals and saw several Scottish fighters compete in Glasgow. Headlining the 14-fight Professional Fighters League event was a welterweight fight between hometown favorite Steven Ray and Lewis Long. There was immediate drama as Long (19-8) went for a takedown and got stuck in a tight guillotine choke attempt by the Scottish fighter. Ray (26-13) would later get an extended armbar put on Long, who showed incredible heart by battling out of it. The third time was the charm, though, as Ray would counter a takedown attempt by securing up a twister submission.

The tap officially came at 4:24 of Round 1.

Whiteford Outstrikes Huerta The co-main event saw Roger Huerta return to …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Paris Saturday at noon ET with UFC Fight Night 243. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scor…

Ion Cutelaba edged KSW veteran Ivan Erslan over three rounds to close out the UFC Fight Night 243 prelims at Accor Arena in Paris.

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“The Hulk” (18-10-1, 7-9-1 UFC) came into the bout having lost four of his last five fights and needed an impressive performance over the UFC debutant. Cutelaba’s heavy hands carried the day early as The Hulk walked down Erslan with heavy haymakers. Cutelaba wobbled and dropped Erslan while trading in the pocket in the second round and even scored an easy takedown.

Cutelaba should’ve stayed on his feet and pressed the action but an ill-time takedown allowed Erslan to climb back into the fight. Erslan rode Cutelaba for most of the final round before Cutelaba reversed position in the closing seconds. The fight looked like a clear 29-28 verdict for Cutelaba, but fans held their breath in fear as the scorecards were read. Luckily for Cutelaba, a split decision verdict (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) wasn’t enough to wipe away his fi…

Sherdog's live 2024 PFL Europe 3: Playoffs coverage will begin Saturday at noon ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores …

Alex Pereira feels a change as he nears his UFC 307 clash against Khalil Rountree.

Rountree (13-5) will challenge Pereira (11-2) for the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight crown in UFC 307 headliner on Oct. 5 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Pereira believes fans were initially not excited for the matchup when it was announced back in August. However, the champ can feel the excitement building as he nears fight night. “Poatan” vows to put on a show and expects the same from his opponent.

“I feel good, I feel ready. We came here three weeks before this fight to prepare this time,” Pereira told Nina Marie Daniele. “Very pumped. I think it’s going to be a good fight. In the beginning, people didn’t give too much attention for this matchup but now we feel the difference. People are building up to that. And I am prepared to put on a show… I think Khalil, too. So it’ll be a great fight.”

UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday…

Raquel Pennington is dealing with a new challenge headed into her UFC 307 title fight against Julianna Pena.

Pennington (16-8) will defend her women’s bantamweight title against Pena (11-5) in the UFC 307 co-main event on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. When “Rocky” won the vacant title against Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 297 in January, her wife Tecia Pennington (13-7) was taking care of their daughter Alayah Rose during fight camp. When Tecia subsequently dropped a split decision against Tabatha Ricci in May, “Rocky” was there to return the favor.

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However, the partners will be sharing the UFC 307 card, with Tecia taking on former champ Carla Esparza (19-7) in the early prelims. With both of them being in camp, the Penningtons have had to deal with the challenge of taking care of their daughter, who is barely over a year old. However, “Rocky” is grateful for the support system around her which has made the camp smooth.

“The new cha…

Julianna Pena wants to defend her title against Amanda Nunes if she dethrones Raquel Pennington at UFC 307.

Pena (11-5) will challenge Pennington (16-8) for the women’s bantamweight title in the UFC 307 co-main event on Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The same card also features a potential title eliminator between Ketlen Vieira (14-3) and Kayla Harrison (17-1). Pena claims to know that the winner of Vieira vs. Harrison has been promised the next title shot against the winner of her clash against Pennington.

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“I don’t think, I know. I know for a fact that they told whoever is going to be the winner of that fight will face me for the belt,” Pena told MMA Junkie. “And that will be my title defense. So yes, that’s exactly what’s happening.”

Vieira is 1-3 in her last four, having only dropped a razor-thin split decision against Pennington in January 2023. Meanwhile, former Professional Fighters League champ and two-time Olympic gold …

[embedded content] After a week off, the Ultimate Fighting Championship travels to France for UFC Fight Night 243.

The main event is an intriguing battle between Renato Carneiro and Benoit St. Denis. Both lightweight contenders made weight, as did everyone else on the card except for Ailin Perez. The would-be bantamweight appeared in poor condition on the scales, shaking and shivering as she missed weight by half a pound for her fight against Darya Zheleznyakova. As a result, she'll be fined 20%% of her purse, but the bout will otherwise proceed as scheduled.

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Carneiro (19-5-1) has been on a hot streak. "Money Moicano" has won his last three fights inside the Octagon, including key wins over Jalin Turner and Drew Dober. The 35-year-old is on potentially his last run to the top and needs a win to keep his title hopes alive. The Brazilian officially weighed 156 pounds on the dot.

St. Denis (13-2, 1 NC) is coming off a stunning knockout defeat to Dust…

[embedded content] The Professional Fighters League heads to Scotland for its third PFL Europe event of the year.

Topping the PFL Europe 3 card is a welterweight main event between Steven Ray and Lewis Long. Both men made weight, as did all of the other fighters on the card. The event features eight playoff fights in the bantamweight, lightweight, welterweight and women's flyweight divisions.

Scotland's Ray (25-13) enters the main event looking to break a three-fight losing streak. After two wins over Anthony Pettis, "Braveheart" has come up short against Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Natan Schulte and Clay Collard. Meanwhile, Long (20-7) is 3-1 in his last four outings. "The Foot" most recently submitted Ashley Griffiths with a rear-naked choke.

PFL Europe 3 will air live on Dazn at noon ET/9 a.m. PT on Saturday.

PFL Europe 3 Weigh-in Results: Steven Ray (170.4) vs. Lewis Long (170.6)Robert Whiteford (150) vs. Roger Huerta (149.4)Dean Garnett (136) vs. Lewis McGri…