Martial Arts News

Luke Rockhold has walked back the retirement announcement he made following a loss at UFC 278 this past August.

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During an appearance on "The MMA Hour,” the former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion announced that he has entered free agency and is ready to resume his combat sports career. Rockhold revealed that he had multiple fights remaining on his UFC contract, but an amicable relationship with chief business officer Hunter Campbell resulted in him being released from that deal.

“Me and Dana [White)]always haven’t seen eye-to-eye, and we’ve had our differences, but I’ve been through some injuries and some things, and I’ve done my thing,” Rockhold said. “I asked for a release. I asked for my freedom to be able to go and do things elsewhere. And I was granted that.

“Me and Hunter – I’ve paid my dues, and he granted me my wish to be able to go have freedom, to be able to box, to go fight elsewhere. There’s a lot of different avenues. Yo…

A heavyweight showdown pitting Marcelo Golm against Daniel James will serve as the main event for Bellator 293 on March 31.

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Promotion officials announced the card on Monday. Bellator 293 takes place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif., and will also see Cat Zingano square off against Leah McCourt in the evening’s featherweight co-headliner. Two other main card bouts were also confirmed: John Salter vs. Aaron Jeffery at middleweight and Jaleel Willis vs. Rustam Khabilov at welterweight. The Bellator 293 main draw airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

A four-time UFC veteran, Golm enters Bellator 293 on a four-bout winning streak in which he has finished all of his opponents inside the distance. Most recently, the 30-year-old Brazilian submitted Davion Franklin in the third round of their clash at Bellator 283.

James, whose two promotional appearances occurred more than eight years apart, earned the biggest victory of his career t…

Sage Northcutt will return from a lengthy hiatus to face Ahmed Mujtaba at One on Prime Video 10 on May 5.

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The Singapore-based promotion announced the lightweight (170-pound) bout on Monday. One on Prime Video 10 takes platce at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., and is headlined by a championship trilogy bout between Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes.

Northcutt hasn’t competed since his promotional debut at One Championship “Enter the Dragon,” when he suffered multiple facial fractures in a brutal KO loss to Cosmo Alexandre on May 17, 2019. Prior to that, the 26-year-old Katy, Texas, native compiled a 6-2 record in the UFC from 2015 to 2018.

A native of Pakistan who trains with Astra Fight Team as well as American Kickboxing Academy, Mujtaba will bring a 9-2 record into his matchup with Northcutt. “The Wolverine” is 4-2 under the One banner, including a first-round submission of Abraao Amorim Magalhaes in his last outing at One 163…

When all is said and done, Lauren Murphy’s loss to Jessica Andrade at UFC 283 could wind up as a leading candidate for 2023 “Beatdown of the Year” due to its lopsided nature.

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Andrade dominated the flyweight bout, setting a divisional record with 231 significant strikes landed. The bout grew increasingly one-sided as time progressed, as the Brazilian punished her overmatched foe with power punches to the head and crushing kicks to the legs. On more than one occasion, it seemed as if someone — Murphy’s corner or referee Osiris Maia — should call off the fight. Instead, the durable Murphy made it to the final horn, losing by scorecards of 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26.

Murphy made it clear that she was pleased to control her own destiny in the aftermath of the defeat.

“I’m glad my corner didn’t stop the fight,” Murphy wrote on Instagram. [To be honest], I thought the ref was going to stop it in the second round but the bell rang before he decided to Ei…

After an emphatic triumph against Neil Magny at UFC 283, Gilbert Burns already has a plan in mind for his next fight within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

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"Whenever the UFC asked me to fight on short notice I never said no. I’ve heard they will do another ‘Ultimate Fighter,’ and I hope they give me the opportunity to headline it against Colby Covington,” Burns said at the UFC 283 post-fight press conference. “But I’m also available to be the reserve fighter of Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 in London. And if they want to put me against [Belal Muhammad] in London, I’m ready. I just want to be really active this year.”

Burns also discussed the retirements of Mauricio Rua and Glover Teixeira, both of whom competed for the last time at UFC 283.

"Those guys were big inspirations for my generation,” Burns said. “Not only for the amazing accomplishments of their careers, but also for the way they always treat their oponents. No doubt their…

Brandon Moreno was once the first Mexican born champion in UFC history, and now that he’s back on top of the flyweight division, he envisions big things in store for fighters from his home country in 2023.

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Moreno closed the book on his rivalry with Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC 283 co-main event, winning via doctor stoppage when a punch completely closed his opponent’s right eye after three rounds. “The Assassin Baby” sees many fighters from his country in prominent positions, and he believes the time is right for the UFC to return to Mexico with a signature event.

“I think as a Mexican, we deserve a pay-per-view again in Mexico City,” Moreno said at the UFC 283 post-fight press conference. “I think right now we have an amazing position where Yair Rodriguez is fighting in February, Alexa Grasso is fighting in March, and nothing is official but Irene Aldana looks like a really clear possibility for Amanda [Nunes].

“So I think this is the year f…

After a valiant — but ultimately unsuccessful — effort in his bid to regain the light heavyweight crown, Glover Teixeira is calling it a career.

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The Brazilian veteran announced his retirement in the Octagon following a unanimous decision loss to Jamahal Hill in the UFC 283 headliner at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night. Teixeira exits the sport at 43 years old with a 33-9 career mark.

“In reality though, I think I’m too tough for my own good,” Teixeira said while leaving his gloves in the middle of the cage. “I can’t keep up anymore. I’m gonna focus my energy on [middleweight champ] Alex Pereira. He’s gonna keep his belt for a while and go up to light heavyweight. It’s an honor to put the gloves down on the same night as Shogun.”

Teixeira was one of the feel-good stories of 2021, becoming the oldest first-time champion in promotion history with a submission of Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267. He relinquished the strap in a “Fight o…

It was an Octagon debut to remember for Ismael Bonfim.

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The Dana White’s Contender Series alum earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his spectacular finish of Terrance McKinney in a preliminary lightweight bout at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night. Bonfim put his foe away with a flying knee 2:17 into Round 2 in what will likely end up on many “Knockout of the Year” lists at year’s end.

Meanwhile, Jamahal Hill and Glover Teixeira received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their five-round battle in the evening’s headliner. Hill battered and bloodied Teixeira for the better part of five rounds, but the Brazilian veteran showcased his trademark resilience throughout the contest and survived until the final horn. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough, as Hill claimed the vacant light heavyweight throne in a unanimous decision triumph.

Finally, Jailton Almeida captured the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of th…

Jamahal Hill showed his quality and then some.

“Sweet Dreams” captured the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title, as he punished Glover Teixeira to a clear-cut unanimous decision in the UFC 283 headliner on Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Hill (12-1, 6-1 UFC), the first Dana White’s Contender Series graduate to strike UFC gold, swept the scorecards with 50-44 nods from all three cageside judges.

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Teixeira (33-9, 16-7 UFC) absorbed a horrific amount of punishment. Hill shredded the Brazilian’s face with punches, elbows and knees, opening cuts near both eyes and spilling blood all over the Octagon. He scrambled Teixeira’s circuits with head kicks on more than one occasion, switched stances to great effect and kept the John Hackleman protégé at bay with a potent jab. Hill nearly finished it in the third round and again in the fourth, but his Brazilian counterpart refused to go away under the direst circumstances. …

Sherdog's live UFC 283 coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Oliveira (-170), Marcos (+145)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Nunes (-475), Dos Santos (+380)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Edwin Ayala scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: …

Ihor Potieria does not believe in storybook endings.

The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate evened his Ultimate Fighting Championship record, as he cut down Mauricio Rua with punches in the first round of their featured UFC 283 prelim on Saturday at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Potieria (18-4, 0-2 UFC) slammed the door on the Brazilian legend 4:05 into Round 1.

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Rua (27-14-1, 11-12-1 UFC)—who announced his intention to retire prior to the match—cracked the Ukrainian with a left hook but offered little else of substance, the 2005 Pride Fighting Championships middleweight grand prix winner looking painfully slow on the draw at 41 years of age. Potieria clipped him with a right hook that scrambled his circuits, swarmed with punches and forced “Shogun” to his knees and into a defensive shell. More punches followed, prompting referee Herb Dean to intervene.Debuting Ferreira Stuns Rodrigues Evolucao Thai standout Brunno Ferreira remained undef…

The King of Rio's road to the #UFCHOF 🇧🇷👑

[ @JoseAldoJunior | Presented by @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/WiyNDLIe8Z

— UFC (@ufc) January 22, 2023

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Jose Aldo is headed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame.

The promotion announced on Saturday that Aldo will be enshrined during a ceremony on International Fight Week this coming July in Las Vegas. Aldo be inducted into the “Modern Wing.”

A two-time UFC featherweight champion and a long-reigning WEC featherweight kingpin, Aldo is regarded by many as the top 145-pound fighter in MMA history. Aldo from MMA in September following a loss to Merab Dvalishvili in a bantamweight bout at UFC 278. The Nova Uniao standout will continue his combat sports career in the boxing ring, with his debut expected to come in February.

The promotion reportedly tried to convince Aldo to compete the final fight on his contract at UFC 283, but the Brazilian elected to call it a ca…