Martial Arts News

For the most part, Kayla Harrison has been an extremely active competitor since making her professional mixed martial arts debut in 2018.

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With the exception of the COVID-altered 2020 campaign, the two-time Olympic gold medalist fought at least three times a year — and usually four — from 2018 through 2022. That changed this year, when Harrison was sidelined as the Professional Fighters League introduced a featherweight division. The two-time 155-pound champion revealed earlier in the year that it wasn’t necessarily her choice to sit out the season. However, she gained valuable perspective in multiple aspects of her life during her downtime.

Much of that had little to do with fighting.

“I was still in the gym training every day. I went from training twice a day pretty much year round to training once a day, focusing on where I can get better — a lot of the holes in my game,” Harrison said during a PFL media day. “But the biggest gains I feel li…

Clay Collard is probably more qualified than most to comment on Francis Ngannou’s professional boxing debut.

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Collard, who owns a 9-6-3 record as a professional boxer, was just as surprised as anyone to see Ngannou hold his own against Tyson Fury in their match on Oct. 28 in Saudia Arabia — especially after training alongside “The Predator” in the past.

“I’ve got to give him props,” Collard said during a recent PFL media day. “I trained with him a little bit back at Xtreme Couture, and I never would’ve guessed that would’ve been the case, him going in there and dropping Fury. A lot of people might have him winning.

“I wish him all the success. I think he can take it as high as he wants to go in boxing or mixed martial arts. Baddest man on the planet, PFL.”

While Collard has plenty of experience in the Sweet Science, his current focus is winning the PFL lightweight championship against Olivier Aubin-Mercier on Nov. 24 in Washington, D.C. Their …

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has adopted new thresholds for several previously prohibited substances, according to a report from MMAjunkie.com.

During a meeting on Tuesday, thresholds were approved for the following substances: GW1516, dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT) long-term metabolite (M3), clomiphene, epitrenbolone (trenbolone metabolite), and selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMS). The new policy is designed to help distinguish between drug tests results that are “atypical” and those that are “adverse.”

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NSAC executive director Jeff Mullen offered further details on the newly-approved policy in a statement.

“Any positive test of a proposed substance which is below the respective proposed threshold would be considered atypical requiring additional investigation,” Mullen said. “This investigation may include, but not be limited to, review of the fighter’s test history, interviews, and possible additional testing. The resu…

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UFC Fight Pass commentator Carlos Barreto was disappointed by Alex Pereira’s decision to call out Israel Adesanya for a trilogy fight following his championship victory at UFC 295.

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“Adesanya tried to come up to light heavyweight and lost his first fight against Jan Blachowicz. ‘Poatan’ moved up, defeated Blachowicz and got the belt after beating another former champion, [Jiri Prochazka],” Barreto said on his weekly videocast, Papo de Luta. “Adesanya already said he is taking some time off and in addition, he has unfinished business to solve at middleweight with [Sean Strickland or Dricus Du Plessis).

“‘Poatan’ should understand that the best storyline for him is undoubtedly Jamahal Hill. Glover [Teixeira] was beaten by Prochaska, and ‘Poatan’ avenged him. It would have been a perfect time to use the microphone to say ‘Hill get well soon, I ́m waiting for you and I ́m going to beat you up and avenge Glover again.’ That's the narrat…

From visa complications to crippling back pain, Tom Aspinall had a lot going on in the lead up to his short-notice interim title fight against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.

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While Pavlovich was supposed to be the backup for the originally scheduled title clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, Aspinall stepped up on less than three weeks’ notice when that fight fell through. The Brit recently revealed that he couldn’t even train for most of whatever little time he had due to severe backache.

Aspinall shared footage of when his back suddenly stiffened up during training due to no apparent reason. Unable to train or even walk for a couple of days after, Aspinall revealed on "The MMA Hour” that he considered pulling out of the fight.

“I just wanted to get one good spar under my belt before we basically leave and travel to the U.S.” Aspinall said. “This was in the fourth round of sparring. Never experienced anything like it before. I just had a c…

Dustin Poirier believes that the version of Charles Oliveira he faced can dethrone Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king Islam Makhachev.

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Oliveira was coming off finishes of Michael Chandler, Poirier and Justin Gaethje when he was submitted by Makhachev in the second round of their title bout at UFC 280 in October 2022. The Brazilian bounced back with a first-round KO over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 in June, securing a rematch against Makhachev.

Oliveira was 12 days away from having a chance to avenge his loss against Makhachev at UFC 294 when a gruesome cut suffered in sparring forced him out of the fight. Oliveira was replaced by featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, who went on to suffer a brutal first-round KO loss.

Poirier believes “do Bronx” has what it takes to defeat the Dagestani champ if they run it back. According to the Louisiana native, Oliveira didn’t show up at his best when he lost the strap to Makhachev at UFC 2…

Leon Edwards claims there is no one exciting enough left for him at welterweight after his upcoming title defense against Colby Covington at UFC 296 on Dec. 16.

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Edwards dethroned Kamaru Usman in a shocking upset at UFC 278 before defending the belt via decision in a rematch at UFC 286 in March. While many expected Belal Muhammad to get his long due title shot next, Dana White was adamant on giving it to Covington, who hasn’t fought since a decision win over Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.

If he defeats Covington at UFC 296, Edwards is no longer interested in defending his title at 170 pounds. “Rocky” recently told Sky Sports that he is eyeing double-champ glory with a middleweight title shot in his next outing.

Edwards will be keenly watching the upcoming UFC 297 title fight between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, both of whom he considers to be good matchups.

"One hundred percent, definitely [moving up to challenge the middleweight cha…

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Paddy Pimblett claims the ongoing feud between Leon Edwards and Ian Garry has already been settled inside the gym.

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Garry recently revealed that he was no longer welcome at Edwards’ Team Renegade, which has been one of his two major training homes along with Kill Cliff FC in South Florida. “The Future” called Edwards a “b—ch” for allegedly throwing him out of the gym to avoid “doubts and insecurities.” Meanwhile, Team Renegade said that the decision was primarily due to Garry’s nomadic nature, which wasn’t in line with the gym’s vision.

Pimblett has now added fuel to the fire by dropping a massive gym rumor. While discussing potential opponents for Edwards during a recent interview, Pimblett agreed that Shavkat Rakhmonov could go on to challenge “Rocky” if he gets past Stephen Thompson at UFC 296. However, Pimblett dismissed Garry’s name, claiming that debate has allegedly been settled with “The Future” getting knocked out by Edwa…

Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker will attempt to settle some unfinished business in the headliner of an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Jan. 13.

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John Kavanagh, Walker’s coach, announced the pairing on"The MMA Hour," and it was later confirmed by MMAjunkie.com. The card hasn’t been announced by the Las Vegas-based promotion, so it doesn’t have an official location or venue as of yet.

The first meeting between Ankalaev and Walker ended in controversial fashion at UFC 294. After Ankalaev landed an illegal knee on his opponent in the opening stanza, a cageside physician was called in to examine Walker. After a series of questions, the fight was waved off — much to the displeasure of both combatants.

It was the second straight disappointing outcome for Ankalaev, who battled Jan Blachowicz to a majority draw with the vacant light heavyweight title on the line at UFC 282. As a result, the belt remained vacant, and both Ankalaev and Blacho…

The possibility of Conor McGregor competing at UFC 300 now seems like a long shot at best.

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During an appearance on "The MMA Hour,” SBG Ireland head trainer John Kavanagh revealed that McGregor’s Octagon return has been delayed yet again.

“We were hoping for April. That was the hope. That was what we were told. And now it seems to be the summertime,” Kavanagh said.

“I don’t know [why]. That’s literally what we were having a bit of a back and forward [about] today.”

April is the expected month for UFC 300, which will likely be one of the promotion’s biggest events to date. McGregor re-entered the drug testing pool in October, which would align with an April return, and the former UFC two-division champion also targeted that timeframe for his first fight since breaking his leg in July 2021.

McGregor coached on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” opposite Michael Chandler, and the two were initially supposed to meet at some point in 2023. McGregor …

It might not happen anytime soon, but the odds slightly favor Jon Jones in a potential bout against newly-crowned interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

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According to online oddsmaker BetOnline, Jones is listed as a -140 favorite against Aspinall, who is a +120 underdog. That is a stark contrast to odds for Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, where “Bones” is a far more significant favorite at -400.

In the case of Jones vs. Aspinall, the fight must take place by Aug. 31, 2024 for any betting action to be valid, and odds are subject to change based on various circumstances.

The far more likely option is that Jones will defend his heavyweight crown against Miocic next year once he heals from a torn pectoral suffered in training. Jones has targeted Miocic, who owns the all-time record for title defenses at heavyweight, as a legacy fight, and UFC CEO Dana White has been adamant that the promotion will rebook the bout at a later date.

Aspinall clai…

Bellator MMA’s final event of 2023 will proceed without a pair of its originally scheduled preliminary matchups.

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The California-based promotion announced on Monday that a flyweight bout between Juliana Velasquez and Paula Cristina dos Santos Silva and a heavyweight clash pitting Daniel James against Ali Isaev have both been canceled. As a result, the card will move forward with 16 fights.

Bellator 301 takes place on Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago and is headlined by a welterweight championship showdown between Yaroslav Amosov and Jason Jackson. In the co-main event, Sergio Pettis and Patrick Mix will square off in a bantamweight title unification bout. The main card airs on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims begin on the Bellator YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Velasquez, 38, is coming off back-to-back losses to Liz Carmouche in flyweight title bouts, the most recent of which occurred this pas…