Martial Arts News

It wasn’t necessarily evident during his performance in the Octagon, but Merab Dvalishvili endured his fair share of difficulties leading up to his first bantamweight title defense.

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After relying on his relentless pace to pull away from Umar Nurmagomedov for a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 311 headliner at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Dvalishvili revealed some of the ailments that limited his training. While Nurmagomedov revealed that he might have broken his hand in the opening stanza, “The Machine” claims to have dealt with with plenty of adversity of his own.

“I broke my back in training camp and it was some days I cannot get up from the bed,” Dvalishvili said at the post-fight press conference. “I was laid down and I don’t have a training camp and I don’t have a Khabib Nurmagomedov to help me to train. Some days the [UFC Performance Institute] was closed. It was Christmas and it was New Year’s and weekends and it ha…

Umar Nurmagomedov is seemingly undeterred by his loss against Merab Dvalishvili.

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Nurmagomedov challenged Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title in the co-main event at UFC 311 this past Saturday. While the challenger did well in the first two rounds, Dvalishvili took over as the fight got into deeper waters. “The Machine” eventually defended his strap via unanimous decision in a bout that received “Fight of the Night” honors. Speaking of his loss against Dvalishvili, Nurmagomedov stated that doesn’t have any excuses. However, the Dagestani also feels like he didn’t completely lose the fight.

“There are no excuses,” Nurmagomedov wrote on Instagram. “InshaAllah i will become the champion .The rest is not important. Praise Allah in any situation. And I don't think I've lost this battle If even the whole world will convince me otherwise.”

Nurmagomedov losing his undefeated record was the only setback for the Dagestani contingent at UFC 311. Nurma…

Arman Tsarukyan is ready to put in the work to get back into the UFC lightweight title picture.

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Tsarukyan earned his gold bid against Islam Makhachev with a split-decision win over former champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 last year. “Ahalkalakets” was scheduled to challenge Makhachev in the main event at UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles this past Saturday. However, Tsarukyan pulled out on the day of the weigh-ins due to a back injury.

Renato "Money" Moicano, who was originally supposed to fight Beneil Dariush on the same card, got a last-minute title shot against Makhachev. While “Moicano” tagged Makhachev a couple of times, the champ eventually made quick work of the Brazilian with a brabo choke in the first round.

UFC CEO Dana White didn’t seem too happy with Tsarukyan and clarified that the Russian won’t be receiving the next title shot at lightweight. And Tsarukyan isn’t complaining. The lightweight contender is ready to fight his…

Dana White is finally ready to give Islam Makhachev his flowers.

After Makhachev retained his lightweight title with a first-round submission of Renato Carneiro in the UFC 311 main event on Saturday night, White conceded that the Dagestani is the top pound-for-pound talent in the sport. That’s a significant change in course for White, who for months has expressed his displeasure that Makhachev was ranked ahead of heavyweight champion Jon Jones in the promotion’s pound-for-pound poll.

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“He’s already the pound-for-pound No. 1 ranking. Yeah, I’ll give it to him,” White said at the UFC 311 post-fight press conference. “Is everybody happy now that he’s pound-for-pound?

The UFC CEO came away impressed with Makhachev’s willingness to adapt when original foe Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of the main event just one day before their fight. The reigning lightweight champ didn’t blink when “Moicano” was proposed as a replacement foe on short notice.

“Islam w…

The Good Guy vs The Bad Guy 👊@DC_MMA and @ChaelSonnen will coach Season 33 of #TUF! pic.twitter.com/x2Lo53ycx9

— UFC (@ufc) January 19, 2025

Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen will serve as rival coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter 33.”

The UFC veterans announced the news during the UFC 311 broadcast on Saturday night. “TUF 33” is expected to feature welterweights and flyweights and will premiere on May 27. Cormier and Sonnen, who are co-hosts on the “Good Guy/Bad Guy” podcast on ESPN, both have previous coaching experience on the long-running reality show.

A former two-division champion, Cormier was enshrined in the UFC’s Hall of Fame in 2022. The American Kickboxing Academy stalwart captured belts at both heavyweight and light heavyweight while also winning the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix earlier in his career.

Sonnen is a former UFC title challenger at both middleweight and light heavyweight and has long been known for hi…

Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili received the highest disclosed purse from UFC 311.

The California State Athletic Commission recently released salaries from the event, which took place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles in Saturday night. Dvalishvili, who defeated Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event, earned $500,000 for his efforts. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, garnered $100,000 in defeat.

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Meanwhile, reigning lightweight king Islam Makhachev earned a disclosed $200,000 for his first-round submission of Renato "Money" Moicano ($250,000) in the evening’s headliner. All told, 12 fighters received six-figure paydays at the conclusion of UFC 311.

Note: The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do not include any performance-based or discretionary bonuses that may be awarded to a fighter by the promotion. Additionally, the reported figures do not reflect any deductions made by the commission for taxes, insurance, etc., and do not in…

Tagir Ulanbekov claims his fighting spirit sets him apart from everyone Alexandre Pantoja has ever faced.

Ulanbekov handed Clayton Carpenter his first pro loss via unanimous decision victory in the card opener at UFC 311 on Saturday. Likely to enter the Top 10 of the UFC rankings with his win over Carpenter, Ulanbekov called for a title shot against Pantoja in his post-fight interview. Pantoja has walked through almost the entire flyweight division during his championship reign. Ulanbekov belongs to a long line of special athletes trained in the mountains of Dagestan by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Ulanbekov believes it is the tutelage of Abdulmanap that has gifted them with a spirit that sets them apart from others. And according to the 33-year-old, it is this spirit that will give him the edge over Pantoja.

“I have nothing. All I have is a heart of a champion. And I’m gonna win it with my fighting spirit,” Ulanbekov said at his post-…

👏Beneil Dariush announces that the UFC will pay him both his SHOW and WIN money following the UFC 311 main event change:

“It’s excellent, I can’t complain. They’re giving me both show and win money…I appreciate Dana, I appreciate the UFC, I appreciate Hunter”

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🎥@TheSchmo312… pic.twitter.com/cx7vUgTIYm — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 18, 2025

Beneil Dariush is being taken care of, as Dana White had promised.

Dariush was originally scheduled to fight Renato Carneiro at UFC 311 on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Las Vegas. However, the card saw some turbulence on the day of the weigh-ins when the main event fell through. Islam Makhachev was supposed to defend his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan in the headliner. However, Tsarukyan was forced out at the last moment due to a back injury.

Dariush received a call from manager Ali Abdelaziz informing him that there could be a last-minute change. Hav…

Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov engaged in an exhausting five-round battle in the UFC 311 co-main event, and the bantamweight combatants were rewarded for their efforts.

Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 for their bantamweight championship scrap on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Nurmagomedov’s superior speed and athleticism was on display in the early going, but Dvalishvili gradually took control thanks to his blend of pace and conditioning to earn a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph.

Elsewhere, Jiri Prochazka took home a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for his stoppage of fellow former champion Jamahal Hill in a thrilling light heavyweight affair. Prochazka dropped his opponent in the opening period and then endured some punishment before putting Hill away with another knockdown and a salvo of offense at the 3:01 mark of Round 3.

Finally, Jailton Almeida earned the card’s other…

Islam Makhachev exploits the slightest of openings.

The American Kickboxing Academy star kept his stranglehold on the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title, as he dismissed Renato “Money” Moicano with a brabo choke in the first round of their UFC 311 headliner on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. A short-notice fill-in for Arman Tsarukyan, Moicano (20-6-1, 12-6 UFC) checked out 4:05 into Round 1.

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Makhachev (27-1, 16-1 UFC) completed a takedown midway through the first round, settled in half guard and went to work. Moicano initiated a scramble, only to wander into the champion’s clutches. Makhachev rolled into position for the choke, tightened his squeeze and elicited the tapout. With that, he put his 15th straight victory in the books, leaving him one shy of Anderson Silva’s all-time UFC record.

Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili wore down the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov with his breakneck pace and ret…

Sherdog's live UFC 311 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Ulanbekov (-325), Carpenter (+260)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Sopai (-355), Turcios (+280)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS…

Raoni Barcelos reminded any and all upstarts in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division that experience still matters.

The onetime Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Shooto Brazil titleholder cruised to a surprisingly one-sided unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Payton Talbott in the featured UFC 311 prelim on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Barcelos (19-5, 8-4 UFC) carried all three scorecards: 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26.

Talbott (9-1, 3-1 UFC) was undone by shoddy takedown defense. Barcelos grounded him repeatedly, floated from one dominant position to the next and even achieved full mount on multiple occasions. Any momentum Talbott tried to build in standup exchanges was quickly snuffed out by the Brazilian. Barcelos tied a bow on his performance late in the third round, where he advanced to the back, flattened out the Reno Academy of Combat representative an uncorked punches from both hands.

Meanwhile, former Legacy…