Martial Arts News

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Chris Leben is set to make his Nevada debut as a judge on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 228, according to ESPN.

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Throughout his extensive mixed martial arts career, "The Crippler" faced the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Uriah Hall and Derek Brunson. He retired from the sport in December 2013 with a record of 22-12.

Leben has served as a professional referee and judge in California for the last four years and has now received his license to work events under the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Judging has been under scrutiny after last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 227 headliner, when Mike Bell gave Alexa Grasso a controversial 10-8 score for Round 5 in her rematch against Valentina Shevchenko. That resulted in the flyweight title bout ending in a split draw. Some are of the opinion that a retired fighter, who has competed inside the cage, will have a better perspective and approach to judging as oppos…

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Everyone made weight ahead ofRizin 44, including featherweight headliners Kleber Koike Erbst and Masanori Kanehara.

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Erbst tipped the scales at 145.1 pounds, while Kanehara checked in at 144.7. Rizin 44 takes place on Sunday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and will also see Juntaro Ushiki (145.1) lock horns with Kyohei Hagiwara (145.1) in the evening’s co-main event.

Erbst was stripped of his featherweight title after missing weight ahead of a showdown with Chihiro Suzuki at Rizin 43. Though the Brazilian won via first-round armbar, the official result was a no contest due to Erbst’s trangression on the scales.

“I’m the champion because I haven’t lost yet,” Erbst said in a release. “Kanehara is strong, but I will definitely win. I can definitely get one with a triangle.”

Kanehara enters the matchup on a three-bout winning streak under the Rizin banner. Most recently, the 40-year-old Tokyo native outpointed Sor…

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Francis Ngannou revealed to Joe Rogan what prompted him to sign with Professional Fighters League.

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“The Predator” parted ways with the UFC back in January after the two parties failed to come to terms for a new deal. Ngannou, the reigning heavyweight champion, had a list of demands including having the liberty to compete in boxing matches while under contract. The knockout artist will toe the line with lineal heavyweight boxing ruler Tyson Fury Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia under Marquess of Queensberry rules.

Unable to reach a consensus, Ngannou vacated the belt and is now signed with the PFL under an agreement that has seemingly met his demands.

In a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, “The Predator” explained how and why the PFL's offer was the most attractive to him as a free agent.

As per Ngannou, once he was a free agent, PFL CEO Pete Murray met with …

Mitch McKee moves to 5-0! #LFA168 pic.twitter.com/0Gf4uVurhD

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 23, 2023

Top bantamweight prospect Mitchell McKee secured his fifth professional victory with a unanimous decision over Sean McPadden (6-2, 4-2 LFA) in the Legacy Fighting Alliance 168 main event on Friday at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota.

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It marks the first time McKee (5-0, 4-0 LFA) has gone the distance, as he had nailed down each of his first four wins by technical knockout.

In the co-headliner, Bobby Lee (14-8, 6-5 LFA) managed to secure a unanimous decision against St. Charles MMA product Lucas Clay (9-3, 4-2 LFA) in a catchweight clash at 160 pounds.

Meanwhile, Kegan Gennrich (7-2, 4-1 LFA) snatched an impressive arm-triangle submission against Florida native Donald Bush in the second round of their lightweight showcase, extending his winning streak to five fights. Bush (7-3, 1-1…

[embedded content] Bellator MMA returns to Ireland this week with a middleweight title fight.

The main event will see champion Johnny Eblen attempt to make his second title defense after claiming the belt from Gegard Mousasi and defeating Anatoly Tokov. Vying for the title is a fan-favorite in English fighter Fabian Edwards. Both title fight participants made weight, as did the rest of the 20-fight card with one exception. Piotr Niedzielski, who will fight Khasan Magomedsharipov, missed the featherweight limit by 1.8 pounds, and will be fined a percentage of his purse as a result.

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A perfect 13-0 as a professional, Eblen has looked unstoppable within Bellator. Prior to claiming the belt, the American had picked up wins against John Salter and Collin Huckbody. "Diamond Hands" is 9-0 inside the Bellator cage. Meanwhile, Edwards (12-2) is riding a three-fight win streak. After back-to-back defeats to Austin Vanderford and Costello van Steenis, "The Assass…

BREAKING!!! More fights on Dec. 16th in Vegas. Tickets on sale Oct. 20th #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/JHpQtqYSbw

— danawhite (@danawhite) September 23, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship is taking a very specific path of matchmaking to build a budding star.

Earlier on Friday, Stephen Thompson and Shavkat Rakhmonov publicly posted about their upcoming matchup on social media. The UFC subsequently confirmed this on Friday night, announcing that fight as part of UFC 296 along with an unannounced matchup. Joining the two title fights and aforementioned Thompson-Rakhmonov tilt will be a lightweight clash pitting Paddy Pimblett (20-3) against Tony Ferguson (25-9). The bouts will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 16.

Liverpool, England’s Pimblett currently rides a six-fight win streak that includes all four of his appearances in the Octagon. His last bout came at UFC 282 in December, where he won a unanimous decision over …

If this upcoming middleweight matchup is not the main event, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has something big in store for the fans in December.

According to ESPN on Friday, Roman Dolidze (12-2) has been pulled from UFC 295. Initially slated to face Derek Brunson, Brunson withdrew from the bout and announced that he was no longer under contract with the promotion. The middleweight has had his Octagon return pushed from Nov. 11 to Dec. 2, where he will now collide with Jared Cannonier (17-6). The two 185ers will battle it out on the main card ? but not the main attraction ? of an unnamed UFC Fight Night card at a currently undetermined location.

Cannonier last prepared for competition back in September, where he weighed in as the alternate for the Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland title fight. Nearly tapped for the event due to an incident involving Strickland and a fan during fight week, Cannonier ended up watching on the sidelines and will not be receiving the …

Per sources: Michael Morales vs. Jake Matthews set for Nov 18th UFC event

Vía @ESPNDeportes pic.twitter.com/NdjAUtTkED

— Carlos Contreras Legaspi 🦁 (@CCLegaspi) September 22, 2023 Some days, the Ultimate Fighting Championship decides to open the gates and let loose a number of new matchups into the wild all at once.

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Per ESPN Deportes, the UFC’s Spanish-language broadcast partner, an intriguing welterweight pairing between Michael Morales (15-0) and Jake Matthews (19-6) has come together. This fight with potential rankings implications will be held on Nov. 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as part of UFC Fight Night 232.

The 23-year-old Morales out of Entram Gym burst onto the scene when he staged the upset and topped Nikolay Veretennikov on the scorecards at Dana White's Contender Series. This contract-winning victory put the youngster in the Octagon, where he celebrated this by smashing Trevin Giles and Adam Fugitt in…

Contender Series alum Azamat Murzakanov, who is now 3-0 in the UFC and ranked No. 12 at LHW, will face No. 11 Khalil Rountree on Dec. 2 per sources. Rountree on a four-fight win streak.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 22, 2023 Even without a location on the books, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is building up its first December card in a big way.

On Friday, two high-stakes matchups at 135 and 205 pounds were announced by various outlets. Courtesy of MMA Fighting, and confirmed by other outlets, Rob Font (20-7) will be welcoming former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo (21-3-1) up to 135 pounds on Dec. 2. The untitled UFC Fight Night event on that date does not have a headliner or a specific location yet, although rumored venues include the Target Center in Minneapolis and the 3Arena in Dublin.

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While still a top-10 name in the talent-rich bantamweight division, Boston-based Font has fallen on hard times a…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship is not skimping on exciting matchups in its return to Madison Square Garden this November.

Per the Two to Tango with Steam & Scoob podcast on Friday, Matt Frevola (11-3-1) announced that he had signed a new deal with the UFC. The first fight on his new contract will be against surging Frenchman Benoit St. Denis (12-1, 1 NC), and the lightweights will tangle at UFC 295 on Nov. 11. This will be Frevola’s third jaunt at Madison Square Garden in New York, with a draw against Lando Vannata and a knockout of Ottman Azaitar in that building on his ledger.

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“I’m finally making [Billy Quarantillo] money,” Frevola stated proudly. “I’m gonna announce it right here, right now. It’s gonna be Matt ‘The Steamrolla’ Frevola at MSG, and I’m fighting the French special forces killer in Benoit St. Denis. And, honestly, I had my questions about the French people, not gonna lie. In his last fight, he beat Thiago Mo…

UFC offered and I’ve accepted, @Rakhmonov1994 let’s close out the year strong. Dec 16 can’t wait

— “Wonderboy” Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) September 22, 2023 Editor's note: The article has been updated at 9:15 p.m. ET to add confirmation from the promotion.

Two top-10 Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights went public about a huge fight to end the year.

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On social media, Stephen Thompson (17-6-1) posted on Friday that the organization offered him a fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov (17-0), and that he had accepted it. Minutes later, Rakhmonov replied, “Let’s go!” to signify his excitement about the prospective welterweight clash. If this bout is made official, according to Thompson, it will go down on Dec. 16 as part of UFC 296, which will take place in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC confirmed this matchup on Friday night.

The unbeaten Rakhmonov has been looking for an opponent since strangling Geoff Neal wi…

[embedded content] In the eyes of champion Sean O'Malley, revenge is a dish best served with sugar.

Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley (17-1) seems to be set on rematching Marlon Vera (21-8) for his first title defense. Back in 2020, O'Malley and Vera faced off inside the Octagon at UFC 252. During the course of the first round, Vera's calf kicks impaired “Sugar” severely, eventually crumbling to the floor and succumbing to a TKO defeat via elbows and punches. Since then, O'Malley has repeatedly mentioned avenging the loss and as per the 28-year-old, now is the right time.

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"Sugar" recently claimed the bantamweight crown by putting Aljamain Sterling (23-4) away in the second round with strikes at UFC 292 in August. While some believe Sterling’s teammate Merab Dvalishvili should be next in line for a title shot, especially if Sterling doesn't get the rematch, O'Malley sees this as an opportunity to avenge the onl…