Martial Arts News

Arman Tsarukyan cemented his status as the No.1 contender at lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a first-round knockout win.

Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with back-to-back elbows in the dying seconds of the opening round in UFC 331’s co-main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, further strengthening his case for a title shot.

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Tsarukyan finishes Ruffy with back-to-back elbows in the UFC 331 co-main event Tsarukyan admitted the opening minutes of the bout were challenging after Ruffy connected with some clean strikes, but he remained confident that he would eventually find a finish.

“I feel great,” Tsarukyan said in a post-fight interview. “I was looking for a finish and even the first round was kind of rough, but I knew, like, I’m going to finish him. First punches, it’s always hard to defend because both of us, we’re fresh. But Ruffy is one of the best strikers, you know, we shouldn’t forget about that.”

“The Bat…

Dana White has pushed back against the idea that he doesn’t like Tom Aspinall.

This comes after Aspinall vacated the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title amid ongoing complications from an eye injury that prevented him from returning to competition. He has also linked up with Eddie Hearn, who has repeatedly criticized aspects of Aspinall’s contract and the UFC model.

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The UFC boss explains why fans may have gotten the wrong idea about Tom Aspinall Speaking after UFC 331, White dismissed suggestions that he has a personal issue with the former champion. He acknowledged Aspinall’s injury and revealed that the Brit is seeking further medical advice.

“No, that’s not the case,” White said at the post-fight presser. “It’s the furthest thing from the truth. He’s going through stuff with the doctor. He knows it’s going to be a while before he comes back. This is totally normal.”

White claims that certain misunderstood comments and reaction…

Arman Tsarukyan has completely redeemed himself after past clashes with Dana White and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Tsarukyan extended his win streak to six straight and further solidified his No.1 contender status at UFC 331 in Los Angeles with a first-round knockout win over Mauricio Ruffy. White praised the top-ranked lightweight at the post-fight presser, lauding his Octagon return.

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Arman Tsarukyan’s knockout of Mauricio Ruffy earns major praise from the UFC CEO Tensions between Tsarukyan and White sparked after the former pulled out of his lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev the night before weigh-ins. He later drew more criticism from the UFC CEO for scuffles with fans and other fighters.

White acknowledged that Tsarukyan’s relationship with the UFC had soured amidst the aforementioned events, but “The Batman” has turned his standing with the company around.

“I’ve been vocal that I wasn’t crazy about some of the stuff…

Dana White isn’t looking forward to a potential Josh Hokit title reign in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Hokit will challenge Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Gane was elevated to undisputed champion following Tom Aspinall’s relinquishment of the belt and “The Incredible Hok” will be the Frenchman’s first challenger.

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Dana White addresses Josh Hokit ahead of his UFC 334 title fight against Ciryl Gane White hasn’t been coy about his views on Hokit, who has drawn the ire of the UFC CEO previously, especially for his antics before and during UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

With the unbeaten heavyweight now set to headline MSG, White was asked about the same at the UFC 331 post-fight presser.

“I got a lot of thoughts on that,” White said. “Yeah, lots and lots. I’m sure they’re the same thoughts that you’re all having. I doubt we’re that different. Yeah.”

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Joshua Van further solidified his status as the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight king at UFC 331.

Van retained his title with a unanimous decision over former champion Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 331 main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The judges scored the bout 49-46, 49-47 and 50-45 for Van, who had nothing but respect for his Brazilian counterpart after their clash.

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Joshua Van defeats Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision at UFC 331 Their first fight ended in anticlimactic fashion last year, with Van winning the title after an arm injury to Pantoja forced a referee stoppage early in the first round. The former then defended his title against Tatsuro Taira, but questions remained over whether he’s still the best 125-pounder while Pantoja recovered from his injury.

Van silenced the doubters with his performance at UFC 331, landing significant damage while escaping most grappling entanglements. He even attempted a s…

Dana White added $50k of his own to the UFC 331 bonuses.

The latest numbered event went down at Crypto.com Arena on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles. The main event earned Fight of the Night honors, with Joshua Van defending his flyweight title in a rematch against Alexandre Pantoja. A special performance bonus in collaboration with the Paramount+ series “MobLand” was also on deck.

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Sean Sharaf knocked out Gable Steveson in just 12 seconds at UFC 331 Both Van and Pantoja earned $100k each for their instant classic. Arman Tsarukyan earned a $100k Performance of the Night bonus for knocking out Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event. Tsarukyan ate an early right hand from Ruffy that left him visibly damaged. He then caught Ruffy in a clinch and put him to sleep with two elbows on the break.

Casey O’Neill (12-2) earned the other $100k POTN bonus for her submission win over Eduarda Moura on the prelims. Moura caught an early kick from O’Neill and took her down. Howe…

Patricio “Pitbull” Freire delivered a statement win in a bid to extend his stay in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Freire took on Doo Ho Choi (17-5) in a featherweight tilt at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. This being the last fight of his contract, Freire repeatedly stated his desire to continue fighting in the UFC and promised to put on a performance worthy of a contract renewal.

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Patricio Freire knocks out Doo Ho Choi at UFC 331 before calling out Jean Silva Freire backed up his promise, dropping Choi with a monstrous right hand to earn a first-round finish. Having had a lukewarm UFC career before UFC 331, the former Bellator champ apologized to fans and called out Jean Silva, who is known for barking at his opponents, to determine the bigger dog amongst the two.

“I’m sorry about my last three fights,” Freire said in his post-fight interview. “I feel that [UFC 331] was my debut. I don’t know what happened to me. But I…

Jon Jones had a clear view of one of the biggest upsets in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

His protégé, Gable Steveson, suffered the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts career at UFC 331, with Sean Sharaf recording a 12-second knockout at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

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Sean Sharaf hands Gable Steveson his first MMA loss in stunning UFC 331 upset Heavy betting favorite Steveson entered the matchup unbeaten at 4-0, while Sharaf was 0-2 in the UFC. The latter uncorked a left hook early in the fight, putting the former to sleep. Steveson’s mentor, Jones, watched on and his reaction to the knockout is circulating online.

The former two-division UFC champion seemingly said, “Oh, my God!” while looking at his fellow cornermen.

Steveson dismissed Sharaf as a threat in the lead-up to the fight, relegating him to just a stepping stone towards his championship aspirations. “The Smoke” even provoked the polarizing Olympian at the …

Sherdog's live UFC 331 “Van vs. Pantoja 2” coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET.UFC 331 live results for Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2 and the full fight card Round 1 Attention at UFC 331 shifts to the women’s flyweight division, as O’Neill (11-2, 6-2 UFC) puts Moura (12-2, 3-2 UFC) to the test at 125 pounds. Jason Herzog polices the proceedings. No glove touch. Moura comes out firing and knocks O’Neill off-balance. She catches a kick and trips O’Neill to the floor, settling in half guard. Moura drops elbows and a few short punches. Crowd boos the lack of action, as Herzog hovers nearby. O’Neill reclaims full guard, but her Brazilian opponent postures and punches. Moura moves from half guard to north south and lures O’Neill into an anaconda choke. She loses her grip after a few tense moments and returns to ground-and-pound. O’Neill elevates the Brazilian, rotates her hips and transitions to a belly-down armbar in one fluid motion. Moura taps in what can only be …

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to Los Angeles is now set with a title fight following the UFC 331 weigh-ins.

Main eventing the UFC's latest numbered event is a flyweight championship rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja. Both men had no issue making championship weight for the five-round fight. All other fighters on the 12-fight card also made weight, so it was a drama-free morning on the scale.

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Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja hit the flyweight championship limit ahead of their UFC 331 rematch Van (17-2) claimed the title in just 26 seconds last year after Pantoja injured his arm. Since then, the 24-year-old has solidified himself as the champion by knocking out Tatsuro Taira. "The Fearless" will look to show that the first victory wasn't just a fluke and officially weighed 125 pounds on the dot.

Meanwhile, this is the first fight back for Pantoja (30-6) since dropping the belt. "The Cannibal" had been o…

Nine months after suffering a serious cervical spine injury that forced her to withdraw from the UFC 324 main event against Amanda Nunes and undergo emergency surgery, Kayla Harrison is back in training for the highly anticipated matchup.

“Her injury was very serious. She had to undergo surgery and spent several months unable to train, but she made a great recovery and, three weeks ago, returned to full training for the fight, which is expected to take place Nov. 14 in New York,” American Top Team muay thai coach Anderson Franca told Sherdog.

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Kayla Harrison resumes full training nine months after cervical spine injury The two-time Olympic judo gold medalist and UFC women’s bantamweight champion will face Nunes, the former two-division UFC champion widely regarded as the greatest women’s mixed martial artist of all time.

Interestingly, Franca was also one of the key coaches in Nunes’ camp for her 2018 fight against Cris Cyborg.

“Amanda was con…

Fresh off a trip to Arizona, where he watched his fighter Jean Silva earn his seventh Ultimate Fighting Championship victory, Flavio Alvaro spoke with Sherdog on Tuesday about Saturday’s UFC co-main event between former Fighting Nerds standout Mauricio Ruffy and No. 2-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan.

“Funny enough, Ruffy was the one who brought me to the Fighting Nerds. He trained with me from the age of 18 to 24, then joined the Fighting Nerds and introduced me to Sucupira there. Today, even though he’s no longer with us, he’s still a brother to me,” said Alvaro, who worked as a ground coach with the Brazilian team.

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Flavio Alvaro explains why he sees rare talent in Mauricio Ruffy ahead of UFC 331 Alvaro has high praise for Ruffy’s skills, going so far as to compare the UFC lightweight to one of the greatest Brazilian soccer players of all time.

“What I can say with confidence is that he’s the most skilled guy I’ve ever seen in MMA. He’s a geni…