Martial Arts News

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Elias Theodorou has died from cancer at 34 years old.

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According to TSN, Theodorou had been battling Stage 4 liver cancer, but only a few people were aware of his diagnosis. BJPenn.com was first to report Theodorou’s passing.

A native of Ontario, Canada, Theodorou rose to prominence by winning “The Ultimate Fighter: Nations.” He would go on to compile an 8-3 mark in the UFC before his suprising release from the Las Vegas-based promotion following a loss to Derek Brunson in 2019. His Octagon record included wins over the likes of Cezar Ferreira, Sam Alvey and Eryk Anders, among others. He would go 3-0 outside the UFC, with his last victory coming against Bryan Baker at Colorado Combat Club 10 in December 2021.

Theodorou was a well-known advocate for medical cannabis and became the first professional athlete to receive a therapeutic use exemption for it in January 2020. “The Spartan” also served…

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship could be breaking new ground in the near future.

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At the UFC 279 post-fight press conference, Dana White revealed that the Las Vegas-based promotion is working on staging its first-ever event in Africa.

“We literally just had a meeting the other day, and we’re seriously talking about Africa now,” White said. “We’re actually starting to look at venues and cities to hold an event. So Africa is going to happen very soon.”

While an exact location is currently unclear, the UFC does have a few fighters with African roots who could headline such a card, including middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (Nigeria), heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (Cameroon) and ex-welterweight king Kamaru Usman (Nigeria). The promotion recently reached another milestone when it traveled to France for the first time for UFC Fight Night 209 in Paris on Sept. 3.

For a moment, Irene Aldana wasn’t even sure what she had done.

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When Aldana landed the upkick to the liver that ended Macy Chiasson’s night at UFC 279, the Mexican standout was a little confused to see her opponent shut down instantly. However, the Lobo Gym MMA product wasn’t completely surprised to see the maneuver be successful, because it is something that she practices on a consistent basis.

“It was bizarre. I knew the kick hit well, and it hit in the liver, but it was a little confusing for me to see her reaction like that,” Aldana said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“So I was like, ‘I’m sure I kicked her in the liver, but maybe I kicked her somewhere else. I’m not sure because of her reaction.’ But we trained the kick a lot, I’m glad it came out this night.”

While the bout was contested at a 140-pound catchweight due to Chiasson missing weight, it was still the type of statement victory that could propel Aldana to a tit…

While Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev didn’t end up meeting in the UFC 279 main event as originally anticipated, both gave performances to remember on Saturday night.

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Diaz submitted Tony Ferguson with a guillotine choke in the fourth round of the card’s new headliner to fulfill the final fight on his UFC contract. After the victory, Diaz hinted that he would be willing to return to the UFC some time in the future after he explores other options. If that’s the case, UFC president Dana White would welcome him back with open arms.

“No matter what Nate does from here on out, this is his house,” White said at the post-fight press conferene. “He’s been here forever. It’s been a blast having him here. I wish him well. He and I had this discussion months ago at the offices. Whatever he moves on to do, I wish him nothing but the best. If he’s starting his own organization or getting into promoting or doing something else, I wish him nothing but the best of lu…

For someone who missed weight by a considerable amount, Khamzat Chimaev wasn’t exactly remorseful following his victory over Kevin Holland at UFC 279.

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Chimaev was initially supposed to face Nate Diaz in Saturday’s headliner, but the card was restructured when “Borz” tipped the scales at 178.5 pounds on Friday. As a result, the Allstars Training Center product was booked against Holland in a 180-pound catchweight clash.

While Chimaev claimed the he could have made weight but was advised by doctors to stop his cut, he also didn’t seem to think it mattered all that much. That ultimately led to fans at T-Mobile arena showering Chimaev with boos, which also didn’t seem to bother him.

"You care about that s—t? I don't care,” Chimaev said at Saturday’s post-fight press confernece. I care about my family, I care about my family, I care about my career, I care about my money... One day they're with me, one day they're not with me.”

In his post-fight i…

Irene Aldana made history and padded her bank account in the process at UFC 279.

The Lobo Gym MMA representative became just the third UFC fighter to finish a bout with an upkick — and the first to do so by going to the body — when she dispatched Macy Chiasson with a heel kick to the liver from her back 2:21 into the third round of their 140-pound catchweight bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. That effort earned Aldana of $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus — one of four handed out by the promotion.

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Meanwhile, Nate Diaz garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award thanks to his submission of Tony Ferguson in the evening’s welterweight main event. The Stockton, Calif., upped the volume of his punching combinations in Round 4, forcing Ferguson to shoot for a takedown. That allowed Diaz to lock in a guillotine choke and force a tapout at the 2:52 mark of the period.

Order UFC 279 "Chimaev vs. Diaz" exclusively on ESP…

Nate Diaz saw the opening and threaded the needle.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 winner dismissed Tony Ferguson with a guillotine choke in the fourth round of their UFC 279 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he fulfilled the final bout on his current Ultimate Fighting Championship contract and gazed towards greener pastures. Diaz (21-13, 16-11 UFC), who sounds very much like a man who intends to enter professional boxing at some level, sewed up the submission 2:52 into Round 4.

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Ferguson (25-8, 15-5 UFC) was effective in spurts, especially with repeated kicks to his opponent’s legs. Diaz weathered the damage to his lower extremities, uncorked some of his patented multi-punch volleys and stayed competitive as the fight drifted into the fourth round. There, Ferguson moved in for an ill-advised takedown and wandered into the awaiting guillotine. Diaz tightened his grip, brought his hips into play and let his squeeze do the rest…

Order UFC 279 "Diaz vs. Ferguson" exclusively on ESPN+ Sherdog's live UFC 279 coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.

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Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sher…

Juicy J closing out the prelims 👏

Here’s your 𝑺𝑯𝑶𝑻 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 📸

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[ #UFC279 | B2YB by @JoseCuervo ] pic.twitter.com/cHlXt2IgZL — UFC (@ufc) September 11, 2022

Hakeem Dawodu failed on the scales, then failed in the cage.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 semifinalist Julian Erosa shined as an underdog in perhaps his most complete performance as a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster, as he cruised to a one-sided unanimous decision over Dawodu in their featured UFC 279 featherweight prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Erosa (28-9, 6-5 UFC), who suddenly finds himself on a three-fight winning streak.

Dawodu (13-3-1, 6-3 UFC)—who missed weight for the bout by nearly four pounds—endured a difficult first round in which he was twice badly hurt by right hands and never seemed to recover. Erosa incorporated takedowns in the second and third rou…

He does it again!

KSW HW Champion@phildefriesmma #AndStill #KSW74 pic.twitter.com/H4xvpDnPQh

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) September 10, 2022

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Philip De Fries' dominant reign as the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki heavyweight champion continued on Saturday in Poland. 

In the KSW 74 headliner, De Fries (22-6, 1 NC; 8-0 KSW) notched his seventh title defense after overcoming Ricardo Prasel. After some quick exchanges, De Fries stuffed a timid takedown attempt from Prasel (13-4, 2-1 KSW), and from there, the Brazilian was more than willing to fight off his back. On the mat, De Fries landed several shots from half-guard as he controlled his foe. In turn, Prasel worked to close the guard from where he unsuccessfully attempted to sweep De Fries. Once he stabilized a dominant position, De Fries started hitting Prasel with heavy shots that left an immediate mark on the Brazilian’s face. During a scramble phase, Prasel left an opening for his…

#UFC279 has a new top part of its card, per UFC president Dana White on the @SportsCenter Instagram.

-- Diaz vs. Ferguson-- Chimaev vs. Holland-- Li vs. Rodriguez

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) September 9, 2022 Khamzat Chimaev’s failure on the scales has forced the Ultimate Fighting Championship to scramble in unexpected ways.

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On Friday, Chimaev tipped the scales at 178.5 pounds at the early UFC 279 weigh-ins, for 7.5 pounds above the non-title welterweight cap. His headlining matchup against Nate Diaz, who weighed 171 pounds, has been scuttled as a result, as first reported by BJPenn.com. In the new five-round UFC 279 main event, per UFC President Dana White on UFC's Instagram page, Diaz (20-13) will now be squaring off Tony Ferguson (25-7), who also weighed in at welterweight. This event, which remains a pay-per-view will carry on at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Diaz will be looking to get back on…

[embedded content] Editor's note: The article has been updated at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday to add additional information.

Khamzat Chimaev has fumbled the biggest opportunity of his career.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship was slated to return to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a highly anticipated welterweight clash between Chimaev and Nate Diaz, but that has now changed. Weight concerns plagued many competitors ahead of UFC 279, and even though only three officially missed weight, one of the most important players tipped the scales way over the limit. As a result, the final three bouts of the evening have changed, with new matchups in each. Now, Diaz will fight in the five-round main event against Tony Ferguson.

Despite losing his last two fights, and with his last win coming in 2019, Diaz (20-13) finds himself in another pay-per-view main event. The fan-favorite fighter from Stockton, Calif., is on the last fight of his UFC contract and will…