Martial Arts News

OFFICIAL: @BiaggioAli1234, Muhammad Ali's grandson, Signs Contract with the Professional Fighters League! pic.twitter.com/UUQB6EpXO1

— PFL (@PFLMMA) September 14, 2022

Professional Fighters League is hoping to tap into a legendary legacy with its latest addition.

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The promotion announced Wednesday that it has signed Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of boxing great Muhammad Ali. Walsh is currently an amateur MMA fighter and is expected to compete on the undercard of the PFL Championships on Nov. 25 against an as yet to be announced opponent. He is expected to eventually make his professional debut under the PFL banner, as well.

“The Professional Fighters League is committed to growing the league and the sport of MMA, it is incumbent upon us to look for the future stars of our sport, we have found one of those stars in Biaggio” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “We are excited to watch Biaggio’s journey from amateur to professiona…

Ikram Aliskerov waltzed into the Ultimate Fighting Championship and nearly took someone else’s limb with him.

One of five prospective mixed martial artists signed by the UFC on Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series, the Eagle Fighting Championship alum submitted Mario Filipe de Sousa with a kimura in the first round of their middleweight showcase on Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Filipe de Sousa (15-3, 1-2 DWCS) raised the white flag 2:09 into Round 1 but not before suffering some apparent damage to his left shoulder.

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The 29-year-old Aliskerov (13-1, 1-0 DWCS) waded through considerable fire from the lanky Brazilian, attacked the hips and secured a takedown. The onetime victim of Khamzat Chimaev landed in side control, isolated the arm and torqued it behind Filipe de Sousa’s back for the tapout. Aliskerov has rattled off five consecutive victories and will be joined on the UFC roster by Farid Basharat, Trevor Peek, Bruna Emanuele Brasil …

A matchup of between middleweight contenders Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland has been rebooked for UFC Fight Night on Dec. 17.

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Strickland initially revealed the news in an interview with MMA journalist Helen Yee. Cannonier and Strickland were initially slated to meet at UFC Fight Night 212 before Strickland was forced to withdraw due to a finger infection. A venue for the event has not been made official.

Cannonier is coming off a failed attempt at middleweight gold at UFC 276, where he dropped a five-round verdict to Israel Adesanya on July 2. Prior to that, “The Killa Gorilla” had been victorious in five of six promotional appearances, earning wins over the likes of Derek Brunson, Kelvin Gastelum, Jack Hermansson and Anderson Silva.

Strickland had a bid for title contention shot down at UFC 276, as he suffered a first-round KO defeat to former Glory Kickboxing champ Alex Pereira in his most recent Octagon appearance. That defeat snappe…

Nova Uniao coach Andre Pederneiras recently expressed confidence that Jose Aldo would not retire following his loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278. However, he was not able to confirm that Aldo would compete at UFC 283 in Rio De Janeiro in January.

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Three weeks have passed since that fight and Aldo’s next move remains uncertain. In an interview on the YouTube talk show "Cara a Tapa," Aldo told journalist Rica Perroni that he still hasn’t decided on his next step. The former featherweight champion revealed that he has been approached by the UFC to fight in Rio de Janeiro, but he hasn’t given the promotion an answer because he hasn’t yet decided if he is going to retire.

During the interview Aldo was also asked about who he considers to be the greatest Brazilian fighter of all time, and he didn't think twice in his response.

“That´s easy, myself,” he said. “I won the title twice, dropped my weight, and I could very well get an opportunity to fi…

Norma Dumont! pic.twitter.com/xdVRfg6D6P

— Alex Davis (@Alexdavismma) September 11, 2022

The real cause of the backstage melee that forced Dana White to cancel the UFC 279 pre-fight press conference last week may have come from an unlikely source.

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According to long-tenured manager Alex Davis, a discussion between Darren Till and another Englishman triggered the incident.

“I was informed backstage that what started the fight was a discussion about the death of Queen Elizabeth between Darren Till and another British guy,” Davis told Sherdog.com. “As you know, some people in England support the Royal Family and others hate them and that was the cause. Till and this other British guy started the fight and eventually it spread.”

Davis was in Las Vegas with Norma Dumont, who earned a dominant unanimous victory against Danyelle Wolf in a featherweight bout at UFC 279. Thanks to that triumph, the manager believes Dumont cou…

While Khamzat Chimaev didn’t show any ill effects from a failed weight cut during his victory over Kevin Holland at UFC 279, coach Andreas Michael saw enough behind the scenes to follow the doctor’s recommendation to quit cutting weight one day prior.

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“We took the first [eight pounds] quite easy, and then it’s like, ‘We’re going to take the rest in the morning. So we had about [five to six pounds] left. But then some complications started happening during the night,” Michael told ESPN. “[Chimaev] started getting cramps, started throwing up, he started being dizzy. His body was seizing up, and we called the UFC. We called the physician and we wanted the advice from them, because I’m not a doctor. I don’t know what’s safe and not safe, and I always take the safe route. We’re playing with people’s lives here – it’s not a joke.

“Actually, he had about six pounds to lose, but we drank before because he needed to hydrate a little bit before we weighed in…

Sherdog's live DWCS 2022 Week 8 coverage will begin Tuesday 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 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfi…

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Parker Porter will welcome Tunisian heavyweight Slim Trabelsi to the Octagon at UFC 280 on Oct. 22.

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ESPN was first to report the booking. UFC 280 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. Porter was initially slated to face Ha…

One on Prime Video 6 has a location and venue.

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The Singapore-based promotion announced Monday that the event will take place at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 13 and will feature a superfight blending MMA and muay thai rule sets between Nong Stamp and Anissa Meksen. One muay thai world champions Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and Rodtang Jitmuangnon are also expected to compete on the card, which streams live in primetime in the United States via Amazon Prime Video.

One Championship also announced plans to produce a weekly show entitled “One Lumpinee” in conjunction with a partnership with the Royal Thai Army. The promotion will host 52 events in Thailand beginning in 2023, with each card being broadcast in more than 150 countries.

According to a release, “the landmark partnership will help transform muay thai and the martial arts ecosystem in Thailand into a global attraction, while establishing Lumpinee Stadium as the mecca of muay thai an…

Footage of the altercations that ensued behind the scenes before the #UFC279 press conference (via @UFC) pic.twitter.com/kTNF1XiyMK

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 10, 2022

The backstage scuffle that ultimately led to the cancellation of the UFC 279 pre-fight press conference is now under investigation by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

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The NSAC issued a statement on Monday indicating that disciplinary action could be taken if it is determined that any “licensees acted improperly.” Last Thurday’s presser was cut short by UFC president Dana White, who revealed that it was an “absolute s—tshow” backstage. The melee reportedly began with an altercation between Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland and escalated from there, with multiple groups taking part. Including fighter entourages, White claimed that there were up to 100 people involved in the incident. Former fighter Tiki Ghosn played a significant role in breaking …

All 10 fighters scheduled to compete on Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series hit their contracted marks at weigh-ins on Monday.

The Contender Series takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday night and airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening’s featured bout is a bantamweight tilt pitting Allan Begosso (135.5) against Farid Basharat (135.5).

A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, who trains at Team Alpha Male, Begosso is 7-1-1 thus far in his professional career. That stint includes a 3-1 mark in Legacy Fighting Alliance, where he suffered his lone career defeat in a 135-pound title bout against Richard Palencia this past December.

Basharat, meanwhile, carries an 8-0 mark into the Contender Series. The 25-year-old London Shootfighters representative has competed for a handful of organizations on the European regional scene, capturing gold under the Ultimate Challenge MMA banner along the way.

Contender Series Weigh-in Results:Allan Bego…

For the most part, Tony Ferguson with pleased with his performance against Nate Diaz in the UFC 279 headliner on Saturday night.

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There was one exception, however. “El Cucuy” regrets the takedown attempt that led to him being caught in the fight-ending guillotine 2:52 into the fourth round of their welterweight bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“My corner went for the shot, but should’ve kept it standing,” Ferguson said at the UFC 279 post-fight press conference. “Little details to expand on and to grow from. Nate is a game fighter. I can’t say anything else. It’s not like he’s old and slow and stuff. Hopefully, the crowd that was at UFC 279 there present got some blood splattered on them or something. I had fun in there.

“I guarantee you Nate was looking for that guillotine the whole entire camp,” Ferguson added. “They had a full camp to be able to do stuff. It is what you practice. We did a lot of wrestling practice and we did a lot of …