Martial Arts News

Count Arman Tsarukyan among those who are skeptical that Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor are ever going to square off in the Octagon.

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Tsarukyan called out Chandler following his third-round technical knockout victory against Joaquim Silva in the UFC on ESPN 47 co-main event on Saturday night. The 26-year-old Russian has been victorious in seven of eight UFC appearances since falling to reigning lightweight king Islam Makhachev in his promotional debut.

“If you want to ask me, for sure I want to fight with Michael Chandler,” Tsarukyan said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Because it looks like his fight with Conor McGregor is over. He got to fight with someone, and I am here. I have good win streak and let’s do this fight, because I’m the youngest guy in top 15. He’s the older one. I think for fans it’s good when new generation fights with older generation.”

Hey @MikeChandlerMMA if you think the fight with …

A five round battle between two absolute warriors in tonight's main event 🤜🤛@MarvinVettori & Jared Cannonier take home tonight's FOTN 💰 #UFCVegas75

B2YB @ToyoTires pic.twitter.com/HHlanhXUBC

— UFC (@ufc) June 18, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship awarded four fighters performance bonuses following the UFC on ESPN 47 card.

The main event took home fight of the night honors as the middleweight showcase was an early fight of the year contender. Jared Cannonier weathered an early storm to put on an incredible performance against Marvin Vettori, who showed a strong chin and much resilience as the fight continued. Cannonier would ultimately win a unanimous decision win with scores of 49-45, 49-45 and 48-46 in his favor.

Two other fighters earned performance of the night bonuses with impressive knockout wins. First was Alessandro Costa, whose brutal win over Jimmy Flick earned him an extra $50,000. Costa delivered brutal elbo…

Jared Cannonier’s path to the top of the middleweight division just got a little more clear.

The MMA Lab product put forth arguably the finest performance of his career to date, as he battered Marvin Vettori for the better part of five rounds to win a unanimous decision in the UFC on ESPN 47 main event on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges scored the fight for Cannonier: 49-45, 49-45, 48-46. “The Killa Gorilla” has been victorious in four of his last five promotional appearances.

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Initially it appeared as though Vettori (19-7-1, 9-5-1 UFC) would make it a short night at the office when he hurt Cannonier (17-6, 10-6 UFC) with a left hand early in the opening round. While Cannonier recovered from being rocked, Vettori still controlled the stanza behind his boxing. It was all Cannonier from there, however. He took control in Round 2, as he walked “The Italian Dream” down and teed off with numerous powerful right hands. The lop…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 47 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Bukauskas (-200), Pauga (+170)Round 1 Welcome to another installment of Dana White’s Saturday Night Contender Series, also known as UFC on ESPN 47 or UFC Vegas 75. This dozen-fight show in the Apex is extremely light on star power, with just three ranked competitors on the whole billing, and two of those are in the main attraction. Starting low in the standings at 205 pounds, either one of these men will reach .500 or pass it with a win today. The latter can be said for Pauga (6-1, 1-1 UFC), while the former is available for Bukauskas (14-5, 2-3 UFC) on his second stint with the promotion. The third man in the cage for the first fight of the night is referee Mark Smith, and the two fighters choose la violencia and proceed without a glove touch. Bukauskas takes the middle of the fence, and Pauga practically runs at his opponent. Swinging his fists wildly, Pauga c…

VICIOUS elbows for the finish for Alessandro Costa 💥 #UFCVegas75 pic.twitter.com/XLksrikZgq

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 18, 2023

Alessandro Costa found a weak point and attacked without remorse.

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The former Lux Fight League champion put together a punishing performance in a technical knockout victory against Jimmy Flick on the UFC on ESPN 47 preliminary card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Costa (13-3, 1-1 UFC) ended the bout with a series of brutal elbows from top position at the 1:03 mark of the second stanza. The Brazilian Warriors export has finished 10 of his 13 professional triumphs inside the distance. Costa laid the foundation for his victory by chopping away at Flick’s left leg, an approach that gradually immobolized the Oklahoman. In between, Costa unloaded with rapid-fire punching volleys to the head and body. Outgunned on the feet, Flick was unable to initiate any takedowns and by the beginni…

Vadim Nemkov added another high-profle name to his resume, as he took a lopsided unanimous verdict against former UFC middleweitht title challenger Yoel Romero in the Bellator 297 main event on Friday night.

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“I’m very happy about this win,” Nemkov said at the Bellator 297 post-fight press conference. “It was very important to me. He’s a great fighter. He’s a legend. He’s an Olympian, so to win over somebody like him who was fighting with a lot of great fighters, top fighters, it means a lot to me.”

Romero absorbed copious amounts of punishment in the bout, but his durability carried him through to the final horn. “The Soldier of God” had his best moment in Round 5, when he was able to take Nemkov down, but other than that the most entertaining portions of the contest occurred when the Cuban feigned being stunned by stumbling around the cage.

Nemkov came away impressed by his opponent’s toughness.

“I was surprised about his head. It’s r…

We told you that tonight could get interesting 👀

The faceoff that you all were waiting for #PFLRegularSeason pic.twitter.com/lLonBECFUY

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 17, 2023 It’s probably the closest Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou will get to a confrontation for the foreseeable future.

The heavyweight stars came face-to-face on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. Jones was at the venue to corner training partner Maurice Greene, who lost a decision to Ante Delija in the PFL 5 main event. Ngannou, meanwhile, was on hand after recently signing with PFL as a highly-coveted free agent.

During the interaction, Jones can be heard telling Ngannou, “You don’t want no smoke” but the conversation appeared to be mostly cordial, and the fighters shook hands multiple times. Ngannou parted ways with the UFC earlier this year when he was unable to come to terms with the promotion for a new contract after his existing deal expired. Jones subsequently …

Ante Delija made sure someone would be there to keep him company on the outside looking in when the Professional Fighters League playoffs start in August.

The Mirko Filipovic protégé bounced back from a tepid start to outstrike and outgrapple Maurice Greene to a unanimous decision across three rounds in the PFL 5 headliner on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Delija (24-5, 8-2 PFL).

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Greene (11-8, 1-2 UFC) did his best work in Round 1, where he stalled the Croatian in the clinch, kneed the legs and secured a takedown. Momentum, as it often does, proved fleeting. Delija found his rhythm in the middle stanza, where he engaged his 36-year-old counterpart at close range, fed him a steady diet of power punches and applied merciless pressure. Greene failed to alter the narrative down the stretch. Delija executed a takedown midway through the third round and dialed up just enough ground-and-pound to av…

The best of the best! 🔥

Another phenomenal victory for Vadim Nemkov. Can anyone stop the light-heavyweight king here in Bellator? 🤔#Bellator297 pic.twitter.com/warQbO5UEu

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 17, 2023

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Yoel Romero hoped to turn back the clock and win his first world title, but Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov was having none of it.

The defending champion picked, prodded and peppered Romero with shots for 25 minutes, cruising to another successful title defense (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) in the Bellator 297 main event Friday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Nemkov quickly gained control of the circle and took advantage of Romero’s notorious workrate. At age 46, Romero’s reliance on explosive blitzes and heavy-handed shots failed him early. Nemkov’s (17-2) jab and discipline on the outside carried the champ throughout the fight and routinely opened up Romero’s guard. In round three, Romer…

The 2023 Professional Fighters League Regular Season marches on with 2023 PFL 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN+ and then continues on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET. Round 1 The PFL continues its second stage of the regular season in Atlanta, this week with the heavyweight and women’s featherweight divisions on full display – plus one amateur fight tossed in. The action for the day begins in a non-tournament matchup between two younger heavyweights, relatively speaking. At 28, the South Carolina native Pinson (2-0, 1-0 PFL) will look to claim his third pro win, while local Georgia fighter Freeman (4-0, 1-0 PFL) wants to secure his fourth knockout in what would be his fifth victory. When the dust settles, one man will lose their shiny 0, and referee Blake Grice will be among the first to know. The big men, who combine for a bit over 510 pounds, come together and tap their fingers to start off the night. Freeman is immediately ready to begin slugging, and he gets in Pinson…

Sherdog's live Bellator 297 coverage will begin Friday at 6 p.m. ET. Round 1 Featherweights Chavez and Law get things started off from Chicago, with set to referee the opening bout of the evening. Chavez is southpaw, Law orthodox as they exchange pawing jabs. Law catches a Chavez kick and counters with a punch upstairs. Chavez is sliding laterally around the outside of the cage as Law gives chase. Law backs Chavez up into the fence and tries to tee off with punches, but Chavez slips most of them and gets out of danger. Law's right cross has landed enough, halfway through the round, that Chavez's face is visibly marked up. Law changes levels for an easy takedown and settles in his opponent's guard near the base of the fence. Law slides around to the back and tries to get a hook in. Chavez fights Law's hands and does a good job of denying hooks. Law is still on Chavez's back with under a minute left. Chavez gets back to his feet, but Law drags him back down and punishes him wi…

One half our main event is OFFICIAL 👏

Jared Cannonier in at 185.5 for #UFCVegas75!

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Tomorrow | Main Card 10pmET on @ESPN pic.twitter.com/pXu44cBH1Z — UFC (@ufc) June 16, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to ESPN airwaves this Saturday for UFC on ESPN 47, and all 24 fighters hit their proper marks.

The 12-fight card is headlined by a middleweight bout between contenders Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier. Both headliners successfully made weight, as did the other 22 competitors ahead of the event.

"The Italian Dream" bounced back by defeating Roman Dolidze in his last outing. That made Vettori (19-6-1) 2-2 in his last four fights, with a victory over Paulo Costa coming sandwiched between losses to Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya. Vettori will look to show that he still has upward trajectory, and officially weighed in at 185.5 pounds.

This marks the fifth UFC main event for Cannonier (16-…