Martial Arts News

It’s weird how this guy knows me…it’s like we’ve spent hours studying eachother’s moves and fought multiple times or sumn’. I mean that. 🫡 https://t.co/Up7U8DyT2Q

— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) August 25, 2024

Israel Adesanya claims Alex Pereira knows him all too well, which is no surprise considering the number of times they have traded leather throughout their stellar careers.

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Adesanya attempted to reclaim the middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis in the main event at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 17. Both fighters went to war in a bout that showed glimpses of both Adesanya’s most elite form and Du Plessis’ usual awkward brawling style. The South African eventually defended his title with a fourth-round submission win over Adesanya.

Adesanya’s former foe, Pereira, was keeping a keen eye on the fight and even mentioned a potential move back down to middleweight to challenge “Stillknocks” upon its conclu…

Cong Wang was a late addition to the list of bonus winners at UFC on ESPN 62.

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Wang set a high standard for the night in the first preliminary bout of the card against Victoria Leonardo at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. “The Joker,” who has appeared at the face-offs dressed as her moniker, took just 62 seconds to shut the lights out on Leonardo with a blistering right hand.

Wang understandably expected a $50,000 bonus for the highlight-reel finish, which was also the fastest by a debutant in UFC flyweight history. However, the undefeated Chinese standout was surprised to see her name missing from the list of bonus winners, which initially included “Performance of the Night” bonuses for Gerald Meerschaert and Michael Morales and “Fight of the Night” for Caio Borralho and Jared Cannonier. Wang expressed her disappointment on social media, promising an even flashier finish in her next performance, which got the attention of Dana White.

I…

Caio Borralho knows he’s on the precipice of big things in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.

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The Fighting Nerds product earned the most signifcant victory of his career to date in the UFC on ESPN 62 headliner, as he weathered a game effort from Jared Cannonier to capture a unanimous decision triumph on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Borralho nearly finished the contest in the fifth round to put a stamp on his seventh consecutive promotional triumph. The Brazilian known as “The Natural” came away quite pleased with his performance against a former middleweight title challenger.

“I wasn’t there to grapple. I was there to bring fire and be comfortable in the danger, because Jared’s a very dangerous opponent,” Borralho said at the post-fight press conference. “My jab was was on point, my calf kicks were on point, and I just did the job. I almost got the finish.

“I think the ref should have finished it, shou…

Michael Morales called out Ian Garry — along with a few other names — after a statement win over Neil Magny at UFC on ESPN 62.

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Moraels faced his biggest step up in competition so far in Magny, who is widely considered the welterweight gatekeeper. The Ecuadorian dropped Magny with a spinning elbow before finishing him off with brutal ground-and-pound with less than half a minute to go in the first round. Morales maintained his undefeated record while also earning a “Performance of the Night” $50,000 bonus.

While Morales subsequently called out veterans Michael Chiesa and Vicente Luque, his callout of Garry stands out the most.

“Whenever there’s a fight and they want me to fight, I will be ready to go,” Morales said during a post-fight media scrum. “I will always be ready to fight. I want to fight in December. But as far as names are concerned, I think there’s a couple of names out there. I think [Vicente] Luque is somebody that is an opportuni…

Cong Wang believes she can beat Valentina Shevchenko yet again after a highlight-reel finish to start off her Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

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Wang started off the preliminary action opposite Victoria Leonardo at UFC on ESPN 62 on Saturday. “The Joker,” who dressed up as her moniker during pre-fight face-offs, took just 62 seconds to shut the lights out on Leonardo with a vicious right hand. This also marked the fastest finish in history for a UFC women’s flyweight debutant.

The undefeated Chinese standout subsequently called out Casey O’Neill in a bid to fast track her way to the rankings.

“Just looking at the rankings. I think it’s a good fight,” Wang said during a post-fight media scrum. “I just want to jump in the rankings and get my title shot.”

Wang also holds a unanimous decision victory in kickboxing over former UFC champ Shevchenko in 2015 under the Kunlun Fight banner. The former 32-year-old Wushu champion, Asian Games …

Four fighters walked away with $50,000 bonuses in a night filled with finishes at UFC on ESPN 62 on Saturday.

Veteran middleweight contender Jared Cannonier and up-and-coming Brazilian Caio Borralho (17-1) delivered as advertised in the UFC Vegas 96 headliner at The Apex in Las Vegas. While Borralho took the lead in the first round, Cannonier regained some momentum as the fight progressed. Both fighters rocked each other, going toe-to-toe in a barnburner that had many online scorecards tied at two rounds each way going into Round 5. Borralho knocked down Cannonier (17-8) a final time in the last stanza to seal a unanimous decision victory. Both fighters were awarded $50,000 for their “Fight of the Night” performance.

Meanwhile, middleweight veteran Gerald Meerschaert (37-17) received a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his come-from-behind upset of Edmen Shahbazyan (13-5). “GM 3” was dominated by Shahbazyan for the better part of two rounds before he turned the tab…

Caio Borralho broke down the door to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight elite.

A potent jab, punishing leg kicks and powerful punching combinations carried the Fighting Nerds star to a unanimous decision over Jared Cannonier in the UFC on ESPN 62 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Borralho (17-1, 7-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 49-45, 49-45 and 48-46 marks from the cageside judiciary, as he posted his 14th consecutive win.

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Cannonier (17-8, 10-8 UFC) made him earn it and kept the fight competitive for four-plus rounds. The MMA Lab mainstay unleashed multi-punch volleys of his own and did visible damage to the Brazilian, opening a sickle-shaped cut underneath Borralho’s right eye in the fourth round. However, much of his good work was erased in the fifth. There, Borralho sent him crashing to the canvas with a crisp one-two, piled on with elbow-infused ground-and-pound and framed an arm-triangle choke in the waning se…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 62 coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Wang (-1000), Leonardo (+650)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Ramaska (+135), Fletcher (-155)Round 1 The fight was canceled on Saturday afternoon, with Fletcher forced out of the match due to an undisclosed medical issue. News of the bout's cancelation was first reported on the broadcast. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Cavalcanti (-192), Nunes (+160)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog S…

Francis Marshall re-established a foothold in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division with a split decision over Dennis Buzukja in their featured UFC on ESPN 62 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Judges Ben Cartlidge and Junichiro Kamijo scored it 29-28 for Marshall, while Adalaide Byrd saw it 30-27 for Buzukja.

A short-notice replacement for Danny Silva, Marshall (8-2, 2-2 UFC) stormed out to a strong start. He employed a time-killing clinch for much of the first round and floored Buzukja with a clubbing right hook in the second. Marshall flurried for a potential finish, only to see the former Ring of Combat champion survive and slowly turn the tide. Buzukja (12-5, 1-3 UFC) regained his faculties and found a home for his left hook, both on the lead and on the counter. He also bloodied Marshall’s nose with a penetrating jab. It was not enough. Marshall answered in Round 3, where he stepped into right hands and managed to sneak punches over th…

😬Sean O'Malley is not impressed with the promotion of his fight against Merab Dvalishvili at #UFC 306:

"A little annoyed-ish about the promotion of the'the sphere, the sphere, the show'. I'm the one doing interviews not the sphere, let's promote Sean vs Merab, The Suga Show,… pic.twitter.com/iYTbeehmiV

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 23, 2024

Sean O'Malley believes, as the defending champ in the main event, that he should be the focus of UFC 306 instead of the venue.

O’Malley (18-1) will defend his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili (17-4) in the UFC 306 headliner, which goes down on Sept. 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The event, which also marks the UFC’s yearly tribute to Mexican Independence Day, is being promoted as the most spectacular venue in combat sports history.

The UFC has also taken the step of partnering with Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the board of directors of the General Entertainment Auth…

The Professional Fighters League determined its welterweight and featherweight finals during its PFL DC card.

The main event of the nine-fight card saw 2022 featherweight champion Brendan Loughnane take on Kai Kamaka III for a shot at a second PFL finals appearance. Loughnane (29-5) wasted little time to make a statement, using pinpoint punches and some well-placed knees to knock down Kamaka (14-6-1) late in Round 1. "The Fighting Hawaiian" lived up to his nickname, though, not just surviving the barrage but finding plenty of success in the second round. The final frame would see Loughnane outpoint his opponent to secure a split-decision victory with scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 30-27.

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Loughnane will look to earn another million dollars by going up against Timur Khizriev in the featherweight final.Umalatov Outstrikes Gracie Magomed Umalatov booked his way to the welterweight finals by defeating Neiman Gracie. It took mere seconds for fans to realize t…

Sherdog's live PFL 9: 2024 Playoffs coverage will begin Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:

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