Martial Arts News

Tracy Cortez has been working on getting her mind right, and for the time being, that’s put her mixed martial arts career on hold.

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The UFC flyweight shed some light on what led to a last-minute withdrawal from a proposed clash against Amanda Ribas one day before their Dec. 3 bout in Orlando. The promotion’s statement cited a “medical issue,” but according to Cortez, it’s a little more complex than that.

“I want to say I haven’t been in the right head space since sometime in August,” Cortez wrote on Instagram. “Life has been testing me under circumstances that I least expected. I’m currently healing, I’m prioritizing my mental health [and] just taking life a day at a time.”

The 29-year-old Phoenix native has emerged as an intriuging talent since earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, winning her first four bouts within the Las Vegas-based promotion. In her lone appearance of 2022, Cortez defeated Melissa Gatto via unani…

Bellator 290 has a new co-main event.

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Reigning light heavyweight king Vadim Nemkov has withdrawn from his title defense against Yoel Romero for undisclosed reasons, and as a result, a middleweight title tilt between Johnny Eblen and Anatoly Tokov has been booked as the card’s new co-feature. Promotion officials initially confirmed the change to ESPN. It is currently unclear if Nemkov vs. Romero will be rebooked at a later date.

Bellator 290 takes place on Feb. 4 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and is headlined by a heavyweight championship rematch pitting Ryan Bader against Fedor Emelianenko. The card will air on CBS, marking the promotion’s debut on network television.

Eblen claimed middleweight gold in his last outing at Bellator 282, when he took a five-round verdict over former Strikeforce title holder Gegard Mousasi on June 24. The 31-year-old American Top Team representative is 12-0 as a professional, with eight of those triumphs c…

Santiago Ponzinibbio isn’t one to back down from a challenge.

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Shortly after Khamzat Chimaev declared on his video blog that four different opponents have turned down a fight against him, Ponzinibbio called out the Chechen star for a clash in the Octagon.

"I thought he was going to fight Colby [Covington], and I was planning to ask UFC to put me as reserve fighter in case either one of them got hurt,” he told Sherdog.com. “Now that I know the fight hasn’t been finalized, it’s even better. Hey UFC, I’m here.”

Ponzinibbio dealt with some adversity recently, as he lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career, falling to Geoff Neal and Michel Pereira via split decision.

"I never lost two fights in a row” he said. “Personally I don’t think I lost to Neal or Pereira, but what counts is the red mark on your Sherdog [profile],” he said. Ponzinibbio returned to the win colum at UFC 282, defeating Alex Morono via third-round technical knock…

Sean Brady will lock horns with Michel Pereira in a welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 43.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the booking after Pereira announced the pairing on PVT. UFC on ESPN 43 takes place on March 25 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, and is also expected to include a women’s bantamweight showdown pitting Holly Holm against Yana Kunitskaya.

Brady suffered his first loss in 16 professional outings at UFC 280, when he fell to Belal Muhammad via second-round TKO at UFC 280. The ex-Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder began his UFC tenure with five straight triumphs, a run that included victories over the likes of Michael Chiesa, Jake Matthews and Court McGee.

Pereira, meanwhile, has won his last five Octagon appearances. Most recently, “Demolidor” took a split verdict over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 206 on May 21. The 29-year-old Brazilian is 28-11 with two no contests over the course of his profession…

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Khamzat Chimaev is the man nobody in the UFC wants to face.

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The 28-year-old Allstars Training Center representative is ready to return to the Octagon, but finding a willing opponent has been something of a challenge.

“They gave me four different countries, four different opponents,” Chimaev recently said on his video blog. “Nobody wants to fight.

“I’m gonna fight somebody, I don’t know who. They change opponents all the time. Every week I have new opponent, but nobody wants to fight … I’m always ready.”

Though he doesn’t have a dance partner at this point in time, Chimaev seems hopeful that his next Octagon appearance will come in March. UFC 285 is slated for March 4, while UFC 286 is scheduled for March 18.

“We’ll see what’s gonna happen now. I think we’ll be, hope so, March but I don’t know who,” he said.

Chimaev last appeared at UFC 279 this past September, where he dispatched Kevin Holland via first-round sub…

Jeff Molina is the latest member of Glory MMA & Fitness to experience the fallout from the ongoing UFC betting probe.

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According to ESPN, the UFC flyweight has been handed what has been currently labeled as an “uncategorized” suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission pending its next meeting in January. Molina’s suspension was initially listed on his profile page at mixedmartialarts.com.

While NSAC officials couldn’t comment on the nature of the suspension, ESPN confirmed that Molina is linked to the investigation that began as a result of suspicious betting activity ahead of the Nov. 5 UFC fight between Darrick Minner and Neurdanbieke Shayilan. Odds shifted significantly in Shayilan’s favor a few hours before the bout — including significant wagering on the Chinese fighter to win inside the distance. Shayilan defeated a hobbled Minner by technical knockout in 67 seconds, and speculation ensued that Minner was injured heading into th…

Stephan Bonnar, whose fight with Forrest Griffin at “The Ultimate Fighter 1” finale propelled the UFC to a new level of popularity, has died at 45 years old.

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The UFC announced Bonnar’s passing in a statement on Saturday. The cause of death was revealed to be “presumed heart complications while at work.”

"Stephan Bonnar was one of the most important fighters to ever compete in the Octagon," said UFC President Dana White. "His fight with Forrest Griffin changed the sport forever, and he will never be forgotten. The fans loved him, related to him and he always gave them his best. He will be missed."

Bonnar is perhaps best known was his time on “TUF 1,” where he reached the finals of the reality show and received a UFC contract after losing a unanimous decision to Griffin in a memorable clash on April 9, 2005. That bout was later enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame’s “Fight Wing.”

That led to a seven-year career with the Las Vegas-based promo…

After three first-round finishes in as many Octagon appearances, Jailton Almeida figures to be a fan favorite for the Brazilian audience at UFC 283.

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Thanks to his admiration for the Khabib Nurmagomedov’s style and his penchant for taking down and dominanting opponents, “Malhadinho” is now being called “Malhadomedov” in his home country. Almedia got his “Malhadinho” moniker because his father was a boxer known as “Malhado” during his fighting career.

"Brazilian fans are really funny they gave a nickname to my nickname,” Almeida told Sherdog.com. “But I’m really honored by that. As I said before, I admire [Khamzat] Chimaev and Khabib´s game, but I added jiu-jitsu to that. Instead of just punishing my opponent, I always go for the submission.”

Almeida, who owns a 17-2 professional mark, isn’t resting on his laurels. He is expecting a tough fight against UFC 283 opponent Shamil Abdurakhimov, who enters the bout on a three-fight losin…

Considered to be on the the biggest MMA stars to ever come from Brazil, Mauricio Rua will write the final chapter of his storied career at UFC 283.

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“Shogun’s” swan song will come against Ihor Potieira, a man 15 years his junior who is coming off a second-round technical knockout loss to Nicolae Negumereanu in his Octagon debut at UFC 277.

“I’m studying a lot his fights,” Rua told Sherdog.com. “He is a southpaw and very aggressive. Of course I have to be cautious, but my nature will always push me to try to win via knockout.”

According to Rua, he will be 100% retired after UFC 283, no matter what the result of his 42nd professional fight may be.

“That’s guaranteed. I’m not going to look for boxing matches or superfights. I´m totally satisfied with my 20-year career. My goal now is dedicate time to my family and also give more attention to my Shogun Team academies.”

Rua claims that there will be 80 franchises with the Shogun Academy name …

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A flyweight showdown between Manel Kape and Alex Perez is in the works for UFC on ESPN 43.

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MMAFighting.com was first to report the booking. Perez was supposed to face Kai Kara France at UFC 284 before Kara France recently announced his withdrawal from the event due to injury. UFC on ESPN 43 takes place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, and also includes a women’s bantamweight clash pitting Holly Holm against Yana Kunit…

Marcin Tybura will square off against Blagoy Ivanov in a heavyweight clash at UFC Fight Night 218.

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Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from MMA Underground. UFC Fight Night 218 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight scrap between Derrick Lewis and Sergey Spivak.

Tybura has been victorious in six of his last seven UFC bouts. In his last outing, the former M-1 Global champion ended Alexander Romanov’s undefeated run with a majority decision triumph at UFC 278.

A former World Series of Fighting title holder, Ivanov ended a two-bout skid in his lone appearance of 2022, as he outpointed Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 274 this past May. The Bellator veteran is 3-2 in the Octagon, with other wins against Tai Tuivasa and Ben Rothwell.

Neiman Gracie vs. Michael Lombardo in the works as the latest addition to the upcoming #Bellator290 card taking place at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Feb. 4.

The main card will air on CBS.

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) December 22, 2022

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The upcoming Bellator 290 card gained an intriguing welterweight matchup as Neiman Gracie will take on Michael Lombardo. A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the bout to Sherdog following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

Former Bellator MMA welterweight title contender Gracie (11-4, 9-4 Bellator) is looking to rebound following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Logan Storley and Goiti Yamauchi. Gracie’s latest victory dates back to September 2021, when he crushed Mark Lemminger with punches and elbows.

Professional Fighters League and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Lombardo (13-3, 1 NC; 1-1 Bellator) is coming off a first-round knockout over Mark …