Martial Arts News

Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Jared Cannonier recently took to social media to make his case for a title shot against reigning middleweight champion Sean Strickland.

Recording one of the biggest upsets in the division's history, Strickland fought his way to a dominant unanimous decision victory against two-time champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 on Sept. 9. Now holding the highly coveted divisional strap, “Tarzan” has several solid options for opponents for his first title defense. Most fans are of the view that Adesanya isn't deserving of an immediate rematch, considering he holds just one win in his last three outings.

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Another alternative includes Dricus Du Plessis, who secured an emphatic technical knockout victory at UFC 290 against former middleweight kingpin Robert Whittaker. While Du Plessis was offered to fight Adesanya on the recently concluded UFC 293 card, "Stillknocks" was unable to make it to the Octagon due to an injury. A…

❌Derek Brunson has reportedly been released from the UFC pic.twitter.com/buncFYMYBc

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) September 15, 2023

Even though he was scheduled to face Roman Dolidze at UFC 295 on Nov. 11 in New York City’s world-famous Madison Square Garden, long-time Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight contender Derek Brunson has parted ways with the promotion. MMAFighting was first to report the news Thursday.

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A part of the Las Vegas-based company for the past 11 years, Brunson, 39, stepped inside the Octagon a whopping 21 times and holds a record of 14-7 in the organization.

Perhaps one of the most consistent fighters in the division, Brunson faced the likes of Anderson Silva, Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya, Uriah Hall and Darren Till throughout his UFC tenure.

Despite being unable to secure a divisional crown, Brunson racked up two impressive runs to the title, often serving as a roa…

#LFA169 is scheduled for Red River Rivalry Eve in Dallas on Oct. 6 pic.twitter.com/r0zOnQaOrz

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) September 15, 2023

Legacy Fighting Alliance is set to return to Dallas with a Red River weekend showdown. LFA 169 will go down Oct. 6 at The Factory in Dallas, concluding the promotion’s tour of its most frequented state. The event will mark LFA’s 12th outing in the DFW Metroplex, a record for the organization.

One of the most highly-touted prospects coming from Texas, Landry Ward will take on rival state Oklahoma’s standout Alfred Walker in the main event. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Landry, 26, is coming off a hard-fought split-decision win over Matheus Pereira Morais at LFA 163. Meanwhile, Walker will be making his promotional debut as he looks to play heel in enemy territory.

“We are excited to kick off Red River Rivalry weekend and conclude this year's Texas Tour in the city and venue where it all start…

For the third time since 2018, Ultimate Fighting Championship legend Pat Miletich has been arrested for driving while intoxicated.

On Thursday morning, Miletich was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) in his home city of Bettendorf, Iowa. According to a report from local news outlet KWQC, which obtained a copy of the police report of his arrest, police were called early Thursday about a driver on the wrong side of the road. The driver, later determined to be Miletich, had allegedly driven over the front embankment of a nearby Shell gas station and parked.

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When an officer arrived at the scene, Miletich allegedly stated he drank wine but did not allow the officer to test him for sobriety, including a Breathalyzer. The officer identified that there were tire tracks in the grass and some damage to a retaining wall in the station’s parking lot. Miletich’s truck also had sustained some damage consistent with the markings on the w…

Cortney Casey Accepts Sanction for Violation of UFC Anti-Doping Policy https://t.co/1nOaUFbRpY

— USADA (@usantidoping) September 14, 2023 Cortney Casey will be eligible to fight again on Oct. 1.

Per the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on Thursday, Casey has been handed down a brief four-month sanction due to her taking of banned substance BPC-157. This product, an experimental peptide that, according to USADA, is not yet legal to take, is linked towards potential treatment of various gastrointestinal diseases. It is rumored to have additional benefits that could include improving injury recovery time or healing torn muscles and tendons.

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Casey informed USADA that she was taking this after learning that it was a not a permitted substance. She claimed that it was prescribed by a doctor to help treat an unspecified medical issue. As she did not test positive for the substance, and was otherwise cooperative and forthcoming about ta…

Just heard some horrible news about a young aspiring fighter from Liverpool, Liam McCracken his name is. Great little talent… he’s been involved in a terrible accident. His gym has started a support page so anyone with some spare donations head to their insta page @aspirecsa 🤞🏻 pic.twitter.com/7PWLpS52HE

— D (@darrentill2) September 13, 2023

Mixed martial artist Liam McCracken had an unfortunate accident involving a bus on Tuesday, Sept. 12, on Pilch Lane East in Huyton, England. The 22-year-old, who recently became a father and was set to face Tony Silva in a lightweight bout on Oct. 20’s Anthony Pettis FC 8 card, was on his way to coach a one-on-one session at his gym, Aspire MMA, in Liverpool.

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Per his coach and friend, Phil Turner, McCracken was dragged under the bus following the accident and stuck there for an hour before being taken to Aintree Hospital. Liam raised his friends’ suspicions about a possible mishap …

One of these two Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweights will get back in the win column when the dust settles.

MMAJunkie first broke the news on Thursday that Ismael Bonfim (19-4) and Vinc Pichel (14-3) will be competing in a lightweight matchup at UFC Fight Night 231 on Nov. 4. Bonfim confirmed the pairing on Instagram shortly after its announcement.

Brazil’s Bonfim saw his mighty 13-fight win streak come to a crashing halt when Benoit St. Denis tapped him out with a face crank in July. Before then, “Marreta” rattled off eight stoppages along the way, including his most recent victory with a flying knee knockout of Terrance McKinney in his UFC debut. Bonfim will be competing at this event along with his brother, Gabriel Bonfim, who is slated to take on Nicolas Dalby. Over the years, the two brothers have fought on four events together, and they both picked up wins on all four of those fight cards.

While he did not sport 13 wins in a row leading up to his…

[embedded content] Some fighters just don’t know when to stop.

Brazilian heavyweight Junior Coelho is in hot water after continuing to strike his opponent, MMA debutant Tiago Garcia, even after the referee had stopped their fight. The incident took place during the main event of Sept. 2’s PMW Ultimate Fight card, which occurred in Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil. As a result of his actions, Coelho was ultimately disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct, in addition to the illegal punches he threw after the referee had halted the contest.

Just a few seconds into their main attraction, Coelho (1-2) had the upper hand, hurting Garcia with a cross followed by a straight punch. As Garcia (1-0) crumpled to the floor with the cage at his back, Coelho raining down punches all the while, referee Andre Madeira tried to stop the fight right around the 14-second mark.

While Madeira stepped in, Coelho continued to drop down punches on his defeated foe. In a display of recklessness …

The unique UFC belt called ‘Tribe Belt #1’ that was presented to Alexa Grasso before her defense against Valentina Shevchenko at #NocheUFC. Do you like the design? pic.twitter.com/ZFz7o33O8c

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) September 14, 2023

Alexa Grasso will put her Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title on the line against Valentina Shevchenko in the Noche UFC main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 16. Grasso became the first-ever female Mexican champion with a massive upset win over “Bullet” in their first clash at UFC 285 earlier this year.

Grasso has now been presented with a custom “Tribe Belt No. 1” in her first title defense on Mexican Independence Day. Custom made by renowned The Taller Jacobo y Maria Angele, the strap is a tribute to women icons who have conquered adversities. The belt incorporates elements of Mixtec/Zapotec societies and the colors utilized highlight the “duality of life.”

A press relea…

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Raul Rosas Jr. is not surprised that some fans turned into critics in the wake of his first career loss; he has seen them turn on their heroes many times.

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Rosas Jr. made headlines last September when he earned an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract at the age of 17 with a decision win over Mando Gutierrez on Dana White's Contender Series. “El Nino Problema” quickly justified his signing with a first-round submission win over Jay Perrin in his promotional debut at UFC 282 in December.

Rosas Jr. would subsequently proceed to make a number of lofty claims, including that he could beat then-bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. The prospect was even a sizeable -225 favorite going into his next clash against Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287 this April. However, Rosas Jr. had to face disappointment in his sophomore Octagon outing as Rodriguez put on a technical masterclass en route to an emphatic decision win.

While Rosas …

Combate Global has announced the lineup for its Sept. 16 card in Miami, which will be broadcasted live on Paramount Plus (9:30 p.m. ET.)

Surging Mexican atomweight prospect Estefania Rodriguez will take on American grappling ace Stephanie Hernandez in a “Mexico vs. USA” main event. Representing Killer Bees Mexico, Rodriguez (23) boasts a perfect 4-0 record. Meanwhile, Hernandez, 30, is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and is on a three-fight win streak of her own.

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While the Sept. 16 card will mark Rodriguez’s promotional debut, Hernandez is coming off a decision win against Natalie Schlesinger under the Combate Global banner.

Former Mexican national boxing and kickboxing champion, Ivan Nunez will make his professional mixed martial arts debut at bantamweight against Loxbey Montalvan in the co-main event. While Nunez, 24, has amassed an impressive 5-0 amateur record, his opponent is coming off a second-round technical knockout over Daniel Gonzalez i…

Kevin Holland takes on surging Australian prospect Jack Della Maddalena in the Noche UFC co-main event on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Known for being one of the most active fighters on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s roster, “Trailblazer” has already fought twice in 2023, earning a knockout over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 287 in April, followed by a first-round submission of Michael Chiesa at UFC 291 in July.

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“I’m entertaining, they say [Maddalena is] entertaining, and we shall find out. If we’re both entertaining, it should make for a great match that night but, like I said, I’m good with all styles, so I’ll be straight,” Holland told UFC.com’s E. Spencer Kyte.

With famous Queens, New York, rapper 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” as his life mantra, Holland wants to continue staying active by potentially fighting again before the end of the year.

The former middleweight is eyeing opponents specifically from Kill Cliff FC -- formerly Sanfor…