Martial Arts News

Two of the sport’s all-time greats took time to exchange pleasantries backstage at Road to Dubai on Saturday.

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In a video posted on the Bellator MMA Instagram account, Fedor Emelianenko and Khabib Nurmagomedov are seen exchanging pleasantries and posing for a photo in the locker room at the Coca-Cola Arena. Emelianenko was on hand to corner Vadim Nemkov in the co-main event, while Nurmagomedov was coaching a number of Dagestani fighters — most notably lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

Emelianenko is a former Pride Fighting Championships standout who is widely regarded as perhaps the best heavyweight in MMA history. He famously went unbeaten in 28 consecutive fights from 2001 to 2009.

Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, retired from the sport in 2020 as the reigning UFC lightweight champion. “The Eagle” went 29-0 over the course of a career that began in 2008. Like Emelianenko, the Dagestani star is considered to be one of the top pound-for-po…

Paul Hughes’ first championship opportunity in Professional Fighters League resulted in a near miss.

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The Irish standout suffered a closely-contested majority decision defeat in a lightweight title bout against reigning champion Usman Nurmagomedov in the Road to Dubai headliner on Saturday at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In the immediate aftermath of the fight, Hughes gave his thoughts on the ruling and his overall performance.

“We all thought I won that one,” Hughes said in a video on Instagram. “I think the judges’ scorecards were pretty ridiculous. But I’ll watch it back with a clear mind. I’m just judging from the energy of the arena and everyone surrounding the cage that thought it was mine. I’m not going to make excuses, though. I should’ve pushed harder. And I will the next time. I know we’ll fight again.”

“Big News” pointed to a pause in the action that occurred due to an accidental clash of heads in Round 4 as…

While Usman Nurmagomedov gives credit to Paul Hughes for pushing him in the Road to Dubai headliner, he isn’t interested in giving the Irishman an immediate rematch.

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Nurmagomedov edged Hughes via majority decision in a thrilling lightweight title bout at the Cola-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday. Though it was arguably the toughest test of his career to date, the unbeaten Dagestani would like to see Hughes earn his way back to a rematch.

“No, he have to earn with a couple two, three, four fights in [PFL],” Nurmagomedov said in a backstage interview after the event (transcription via MMAjunkie.com). “He had only two fights and they gave him title shot. But Paul Hughes, this is all my respect to this guy. I think if he even go to the tournament for $1 million, he 100 percent [has a] chance to take this belt. Then, we can talk rematches.”

Nurmagomedov appreciated the test that Hughes provided, but he admits that he didn’t …

UFC Saudi Arabia has lost a proposed middleweight clash between Andre Muniz and Ikram Aliskerov one week before the event.

Muniz announced via Instagram stories that the fight has been postponed due to passport issues, but he expects it to be rescheduled at an unspecified date in the future. UFC Fight Night 250 takes place on Saturday at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is headlined by a 185-pound showdown pitting Israel Adesanya against Nassourdine Imavov. The event will proceed with 12 fights.

Muniz snapped a two-bout skid in his last outing, when he took split verdict over Jun Yong Park at UFC Fight Night 233 in December 2023. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace is 6-2 since debuting in the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2019.

Aliskerov hasn’t competed since falling to Robert Whittaker via first-round knockout in a short-notice main event appearance at UFC on ABC 6 last June. Prior to that, he scored consecutive stoppages against Warlley Alves and Phil Hawe…

When it came to Dagestan vs. Ireland, to paraphrase the great Tito Ortiz, there was never no rivalry.

The Professional Fighters League introduced itself to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates with a showcase event pitting competitors from Dagestan against their Irish counterparts. The Russians largely ran through their opposition, culminating with a Bellator MMA lightweight championship defense. Usman Nurmagomedov (19-0, 1 NC; 1-0 PFL) carried the weight of the defunct league on his shoulders, and he approached that challenge with a stoic intensity. In the face of the toughest test of his professional career, Nurmagomedov held on and secured the victory by majority verdict.

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ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?!#RoadToDubai | LIVE NOW🇺🇸 MAX🇬🇧🇮🇪 DAZN🇷🇺 OKKO pic.twitter.com/6evoCG5cgl

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 25, 2025 The champ and Paul Hughes (13-2, 1-1 PFL) chewed up the lead legs of one another with kicks in the opening round when no…

Sherdog's live Professional Fighters League PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai coverage will begin Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. The event streams live on the Max app in the U.S. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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

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Watch the inaugural Global Fight League Draft will in the player above on Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with six teams and cities:

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Los Angeles: Known as a hub and home for world-class gyms and athletes, this city will be led by Manager Wanderlei Silva and Coach Rafael Cordeiro, a legendary duo synonymous with Brazilian MMA excellence.

New York: Home to the most sports fans in the world, New York embodies history and grit. Led by legendary Coach Ray Longo, renowned for training champions, the team’s manager will be announced soon.

Miami: Where cultural vibrancy meets fight tradition, Miami thrives under Manager Thiago Alves and Coach Marcus “Conan” Silveira, icons of Brazilian and American MMA with roots in the legendary American Top Team.

Sao Paulo: Sao Paulo embodies the rich heritage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Vale Tudo—the very foundations of modern MMA—guided by former champion Manager Lyoto Machida and legendary Coac…

Two Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweights with an eye on the prize will tangle for a possible crack at gold.

Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight announced on Thursday that Xiaonan Yan (19-4, 1 NC) and Virna Jandiroba (21-3) would be throwing down on UFC 314. The top-ranked 115-pounders might be vying for the next shot at the crown that will be held by either Weili Zhang or Tatiana Suarez. Jandiroba had been calling for this match on social media for the past month, and according to her on Friday, she will get her wish come April 12 in Miami.

Yan fought for the strawweight crown at UFC 300 in April 2024, and she came up short to Zhang by a one-sided decision. That put an end to a win streak that saw the Team Alpha Male representative beat Mackenzie Dern by five-round decision and wreck Jessica Andrade in half a round. Since joining the roster in 2017, finishes have come at a premium for Yan, who holds one knockout victory against a knockout loss on a ledger otherwise popu…

A pair of Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight contenders will get two extra rounds to handle their business in March.

On Friday, the pairing of Marvin Vettori (19-7-1) vs. Roman Dolidze (14-3) 2 was posted on social media, as first reported by MagicM. The light heavyweight headliner was confirmed by other outlets shortly thereafter, setting up a rematch for the main attraction of UFC Fight Night 254, also known as UFC Vegas 104. The two first collided at UFC 286 in 2023, with the Italian getting the upper hand and winning by close decision.

Since that matchup nearly two years ago, Vettori has entered the cage just once, facing Jared Cannonier in a potential title eliminator atop UFC on ESPN 47 and coming up short on the scorecards. That too took place in 2023, so “The Italian Stallion” will be coming off a layoff of nearly 21 months in his return outing. Having alternated wins and losses in his last six, Vettori has heard the final bell in seven bouts in a r…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making sure its 2025 return to the 305 will be a memorable one.

According to MMA Fighting on Friday, light heavyweight contenders Nikita Krylov (30-9) and Dominick Reyes (14-4) will be throwing down at UFC 314 on April 12. The two 205ers will likely tangle in the city of Miami in the Kaseya Center, although the location has not been officially announced yet. The report of this high-stakes pairing has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Krylov, the higher-ranked fighter of the two, will come in on a three-fight win streak. This will be his first appearance in over two years, however, as he last tapped out Ryan Spann in March 2023. The Russian born in Ukraine was previously booked against Azamat Murzakanov towards the end of 2024, but the latter pulled out for undisclosed reasons. As a professional, Krylov abhors judges’ decisions, only going the distance four times in 39 outings.

Former title challenger Reyes has been a …

𝗗𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡 𝗩𝗦 𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝟮 🇷🇺🇮🇪

The time for talk is over!

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Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes had a intense face-off in front of the Dubai crowd! #RoadToDubai | Sat Jan 25 | Coca-Cola Arena | Dubai, UAE | 11AM ET | Streaming on @SportsonMax pic.twitter.com/tLgu1MttXZ — PFL (@PFLMMA) January 24, 2025

The Professional Fighters League's first event of the year will feature a lightweight title fight.

The PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series weigh-ins took place this morning, which locked in the card. The event will be headlined by Bellator MMA lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov putting his title on the line against Paul Hughes. Both men made weight, as did most of the card with the exception of Kenny Mokhonoana (147) and Ahmed Sami (199.6). While the former eclipsed the featherweight cap by one pound for his fight against Ibragim Ibragimov, Sami was unable to reach the pre-agreed 195-pound catchweight with Tarek Sule…

There are no longer any “Pitbull” brothers competing under the Professional Fighters League banner.

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On Tuesday, Patricky Freire announced his release from the PFL, and a day later, his signing with the fledging Global Fight League become official. Freire confirmed the news following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

The GFL is expected to launch a team-based MMA format beginning in April. The draft to select the fighters to represent each team — a pool which now includes Freire — is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. ET. In recent weeks a number of notable former champions and veterans have been linked to the organization.

Freire competed twice for the PFL during its 2024 season, falling to Clay Collard and Bruno Miranda. The elder “Pitbull” brother was best known for a lengthy stint with Bellator MMA, where he enjoyed a brief reign as lightweight champion. During his Bellator tenure, Freire bested the likes of Benson Henderson, Josh Thoms…