Martial Arts News

A strawweight clash pitting Marina Rodriguez against Amanda Lemos has been elevated to main event status at UFC Fight Night 214.

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The move comes after Movsar Evloev was forced to withdraw from the card’s original main event bout against Bryce Mitchell due to injury. A replacement opponent for Mitchell was not found, and the promotion announced the new UFC Fight Night 214 headliner during the UFC 280 broadcast on Saturday. Rodriguez and Lemos were initially slated to meet at UFC 280 before their bout was rescheduled.

UFC Fight Night 214 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Nov. 5 and also includes a welterweight scrap between Neil Magny and Daniel Rodriguez as well as a lightweight showdown between Mark O. Madsen and Grant Dawson.

Rodriguez is in the midst of a four-bout winning streak in UFC competition. During that run, the Brazilian muay thai specialist has knocked off the likes of Xiaonan Yan, Mackenzie Dern, Michelle Waterson-Gomez…

"VOU PEGAR!" 🇧🇷

KLEBER KOIKE IS INEVITABLE‼️

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[Watch #RIZIN39 ➡️ https://t.co/40DpcCYUQV] pic.twitter.com/qihhdRiUnG — RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) October 23, 2022

There’s death, taxes, and Kleber Koike Erbst submitting his opponents due to triangle choke maneuvers.

In the Rizin 39 main event, Erbst quickly dispatched Juntaro Ushiku (20-7, 2-1 Rizin) to become the new Rizin Fighting Federation featherweight champion. Former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki title challenger Erbst (31-5-1, 6-0 Rizin) imposed his grappling-oriented strategy straight out of the gate, making the most out of Ushiku’s decision to pull guard. Once on the canvas, Erbst stayed on top of Ushiku (20-7, 2-1 Rizin) for most of the opening frame, teasing some submission attempts from time to time.

In Round 2, Erbst’s strategy paid dividends during a scramble phase when the Brazilian found himself in the position to attack with a triangle choke att…

Having just claimed the lightweight crown with a scintillating second-round submission of Charles Oliveira in the UFC 280 headliner, Islam Makhachev didn’t take long to set his sights on even bigger goals.

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“I have to be No. 1 pound-for-pound champion,” Makhachev said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “After that moment we will see. We’re going to think about this. But right now, I have to defend this belt many times.”

Makhachev was in peak form against Oliveira, as he landed takedowns and defended against his opponent’s vaunted submission game in Round 1 before flooring the Brazilian in Round 2 and closing the show with an arm-triangle choke. It was an impressive showing, especially against a champion who entered the bout on an 11-fight winning streak.

“I’ve been saying all week, you have two of the absolute best in the world facing in their prime and facing off. And when I went up in the Octagon after, Khabib [Nurmagomedov] said, ‘I t…

T.J. Dillashaw never really had a chance against Aljamain Sterling.

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The former bantamweight champion entered the UFC 280 co-main event with an existing injury to his shoulder, and it flared up very quickly in their title bout on Saturday night at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. With Dillashaw clearly compromised, Sterling dominated en route to a technical knockout stoppage at the 3:44 mark of Round 2.

In his post-fight interview, Dillashaw revealed that the shoulder had been giving him problems since the beginning of his camp, and that continued into the fight.

“Yeah it popped out right away. I’ve got to apologize to the weight class, I kind of held it up. I completely blew my shoulder out end of April,” Dillashaw told Daniel Cormier. “I probably dislocated it a good 20 times throughout training camp. This is by far the toughest training camp I’d been through because of that emotionally.

“That’s why I was talking so much s—t about his weak standu…

Khamzat Chimaev and Abubakar Nurmagomedov went from 0-100 wtf pic.twitter.com/Qmbt5zx4xs

— Out Of Context MMA (@oocmma) October 22, 2022 There appears to be bad blood between Khamzat Chimaev and the Khabib Nurmagomedov camp.

Multiple videos posted online captured an altercation in the crowd at UFC 280 between Chimaev, who was seated cageside, and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, who competed earlier on the card. The incident occurred while newly-crowned lightweight champion Islam Makhachev was doing an in-cage interview following his victory over Charles Oliveira in the main event. The two UFC fighters had to be separated by security at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The origin of the scuffle is currently unclear, but according RT Sport, Abubakar sent Chimaev a warning on social media in 2021 after Chimaev said he would “tear apart” Khabib Nurmagomedov. Abubakar is the cousin of the former UFC lightweight champion.

Abubakar Nurmagomedov defeat…

While many observers might not have agreed with the official result, Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan undeniably put on a show at UFC 280.

O’Malley and Yan received “Fight of the Night” and $50,000 for their spirited bantamweight clash at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. While O’Malley did damage with his rangy standup, Yan blended striking and takedowns effectively throughout the contest. Ultimately, “Sugar” Sean emerged with a contentious split-decision triumph.

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Elsewhere, Islam Makhachev captured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus to go with his newly-claimed championship hardware for a submission victory against Charles Oliveira in the evening’s headliner. The Dagestani landed multiple takedowns before dropping his opponent in Round 2, setting the stage for an arm-triangle finish at the 3:16 mark of the period.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

Finally, Belal Muhammad secured the card’s other $50,000 “Pe…

Islam Makhachev’s time has arrived.

The American Kickboxing Academy export completed his years-long climb to the top of the mountain, as he seized the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title by submitting Charles Oliveira with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their UFC 280 headliner on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Oliveira (33-9, 21-9 UFC) bowed out 3:16 into Round 2, suffering his first defeat since Dec. 2, 2017.

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Makhachev (23-1, 12-1 UFC) was utterly brilliant. He assumed top position in the first round and successfully navigated the treacherous Oliveira guard, setting the stage for what was to come. Makhachev decked the Brazilian with a right hook in the second round, pursued him to the canvas and locked in the arm-triangle. He then cleared Oliveira’s legs, tightened his crushing squeeze and drew out the tap.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

Sterling Wre…

Sherdog's live UFC 280 coverage will begin Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

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Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Rosa (-295), Lansberg (+245)Round 1 The big show is upon us, and if you live in North America, you’re getting up early for this one and for good reason. A cool dozen fights – with most matches featuring ranked competitors – will grace this blockbuster event, one that begins in the women’s 135-pound weight class. Rising contender and Jessica Andrade training partner Rosa (15-4, 4-1 UFC) will look to get back on track after a humbling defeat to Sara McMann in March, while 40-year-old Swede Lansberg (10-6, 4-5 UFC) intends on demonstrating she is not done yet as she hunts for her first win since 2019. The first match of the day draws officiating from referee Lukasz Bosacki, and it begins witho…

pic.twitter.com/vLo8gBOnVL

— MMA Fire 2.0 (@FireMMAVids) October 22, 2022

Non-stop pressure was the name of the game for Belal Muhammad.

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The VFS Academy product proved his worth in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division yet again, as he took out the previously unbeaten Sean Brady with punches in the second round of their featured UFC 280 prelim on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Muhammad (22-3, 13-3 UFC) brought it to a close 4:47 into Round 2, posting his first victory via knockout or technical knockout since September 2016.

Brady (15-1, 5-1 UFC) tried to keep the former Titan Fighting Championship titleholder at bay with leg kicks and counters but never managed to draw the action to the canvas, where his world-class jiu-jitsu skills might have come into play. Muhammad connected with an overhand right late in the second round, hit the accelerator and unleashed a burst of …

A lightweight clash pitting Paddy Pimblett against Jared Gordon is on tap for UFC 282.

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The promotion announced the booking on Saturday. UFC 282 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 10 and features a light heavyweight championship rematch between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

A former Cage Warriors champion, Pimblett has emerged as a rising star at 155 pounds after finishing Luigi Vendramini, Rodrigo Vargas and Jordan Leavitt in his first three Octagon appearances. The 27-year-old Englishman known as “The Baddy” is 19-3 as a professional, with 15 of those triumphs coming inside the distance.

Gordon, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of his last five promotional outings. Most recently, he outpointed Leonardo Santos at UFC 278 on Aug. 20. The former Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder is 7-4 in UFC competition since beginning his promotiona…

The One Championship bantamweight throne sits vacant—for now.

Fabricio Andrade connected with an accidental knee strike to the groin that resulted in a no contest against John Lineker in the third round of their ONE on Prime Video 3 headliner on Friday at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Lineker (35-9, 4-0 ONE), who was stripped of the 145-pound title prior to the match due to his failure to make weight, was unable to continue 2:44 into Round 3.

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Andrade (8-2, 5-0 ONE) appeared to be nearing a career-defining victory at the time of the foul. The Marrok Force export operated behind a punishing jab, incorporated clean one-twos and zeroed in on the body with knees. Lineker gained the occasional foothold with winging hooks and well-timed takedowns but absorbed significant damage for his trouble. He rose from his corner for the start of Round 3 with a massive hematoma beneath his left eye, his vision almost certainly compromised. Andrade continued t…

Sherdog's live ONE on Prime Video 3 “Lineker vs. Andrade” coverage kicks off Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

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Round 1 The opening bout is being overseen by Herb Dean. Bivins opens up with a kick and rushes forward. Grandjean is able to clinch and is landing some nice dirty boxing before tripping her opponent to the ground. Grandjean is kicking the legs of Bivins and settles in guard to throw punches. Bivins looks for an armbar but it goes nowhere. Dean stands up the fighters. They clinch again with Bivins landing a few standing knees. Bivins defends a takedown attempt from Grandjean, who then throws a wild overhand right. Grandjean is landing some solid leg kicks and Bivins looks tired with 90 seconds left in the round. Grandjean keeps landing kicks and follows them up with a straight right hand to the body that stuns Bivins. Grandjean keeps the pressure on and floors Bi…