Martial Arts News

There are some fights that just make sense long before they come to fruition.

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For Geoff Neal, a showdown with Vicente Luque was one of those fights. Prior to his third-round knockout of “The Silent Assassin” at UFC on ESPN 40 on Saturday night, Neal thought often about a matchup with one of the promotion’s most explosive welterweights.

“It feels good. It’s one of those fights that I’ve been playing in my head for years. You can ask my coaches, I’ve been talking about that fight for a long time,” Neal said in a post-fight interview. “We knew one day it was gonna happen. The way I envisioned it is the way it happened, and I’m just so glad I finally got that demon off my back. Because I’ve been thinking about fighting him for years and we finally got to match up and fight.”

Neal was both technical and violent in the co-main event. He rattled Luque with left hands repeatedly in the opening stanza, dropping “The Ultimate Fighter 21” cast member on…

Jamahal Hill took a major step toward contention with his victory over former title challenger Thiago Santos in the UFC on ESPN 40 headliner, but “Sweet Dreams” nonetheless believes there is plenty of room for improvement.

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“I’m happy with the win, but I’m not happy with my performance. I need to get back to the drawing board and do a much, much better job. That’s what I’m going to do,” Hill said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Always look to improve. Always need to get better. Always. So even if it’s the smallest thing or it could be something really small and stupid, I still need to improve on it.”

The action was fast and furious at times between the two light heavyweights at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and that’s one area that Hill would like to work on. While Hill ultimately outlanded his opponent by an 89-to-53 count in significant strikes, those moments where he engaged in a slugfest could leave him vulnerable.

“[I need to] be …

A back-and-forth UFC on ESPN 40 headliner between Jamahal Hill and Thiago Santos garnered “Fight of the Night” honors at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Hill and Santos received $50,000 apiece for their light heavyweight clash, which saw the Brazilian attempt to impose his will through a wrestling-heavy approach in the early going. Hill weathered that storm and ultimately finished with a flourish, winning via technical knockout at the 2:10 mark of Round 4.

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On a night when all 10 bouts on the UFC on ESPN 40 card featured finishes, only three others — Geoff Neal, Mohammed Usman and Bryan Battle — earned $50,000 “Performance of the Night” awards.

Neal become the first person to defeat Vicente Luque via KO or TKO, finishing “The Ultimate Fighter 21” competitor with a volley of power punches against the cage at the 2:01 mark of Round 3.

Usman, meanwhile, capped off a run through “The Ultimate Fighter 30” with a knockout of Zac Pauga i…

Jamahal Hill may not have aced his latest exam in the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division, but he passed it with room to spare.

The 2019 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate disposed of American Top Team’s Thiago Santos with punches and elbows in the fourth round of their UFC on ESPN 40 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hill (11-1, 5-1 UFC) closed it out 2:31 into Round 4, as he extended his winning streak to three fights and made his push for more attention at 205 pounds.

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Santos (22-11, 14-10 UFC) employed a takedown- and clinch-centric attack that paid some dividends but proved to be a drain on his gas tank. By the time they reached the fourth round, he was running on fumes. Hill touched off a wild exchange with a stinging left hand, gave chase and ultimately tracked down the Brazilian in the center of the cage. Santos collapsed, likely from a combination of exhaustion and damage, and found himself at the …

Michal Oleksiejczuk came here for a good time not a long time 👊 #UFCVegas59 pic.twitter.com/4GgcUQNwM1

— UFC (@ufc) August 7, 2022 Sam Alvey might have trouble smiling after this one.

Ankos MMA rep Michal Oleksiejczuk announced his arrival in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division and did so with violent delight, as he battered, bloodied and buried “Smile’n Sam” with punches in the first round of their featured UFC on ESPN 40 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Now 0-8-1 across his past nine outings, Alvey (33-18-1, 10-13-1 UFC) checked out 1:56 into Round 1.

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Oleksiejczuk (17-5, 5-3 UFC) had the former Maximum Fighting Championship titleholder on his heels from the outset. He floored Alvey with a ringing overhand left and moved to the mounted crucifix before unloading with punches and elbows. Oleksiejczuk stepped up the assault with his opponent turtled, then reset on the feet after spra…

Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 40 “Santos vs. Hill” coverage will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

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

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BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Silva (-110), Egger (-110)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: McKenna (-225), Granger (+185)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay…

Josh Quinlan was not cleared to compete against Jason Witt after testing positive for a trace amount of a steroid metabolite prior to their welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 40.

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The UFC announced the news in a statement prior to Saturday’s event:

UFC was notified by USADA that a recent urine sample from Josh Quinlan indicated the presence of a small amount of the M3 metabolite of dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT). While not a violation under UFC anti-doping program rules, Nevada State Athletic Commission has ruled that Quinlan is not cleared to fight. As a result, his bout against Jason Witt has been canceled from tonight’s event.

Quinlan vs. Witt will now take place on week later at UFC on ESPN 41 in San Diego. According to USADA, a fighter can test positive for up to 100 picograms of the M3 metabolite before it is determined to be an anti-doping violation. The most famous instance occurred when former light heavweight champion Jon Jo…

A proposed flyweight clash between Ariane Lipski and Priscila Cachoeira has been pulled from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 40 card after Lipski was not medically cleared to compete.

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Lipski missed weight by 2.5 pounds on Friday and was hospitalized due to complications from the cut. As a result, Lipski vs. Cachoeira has been rescheduled for UFC on ESPN 41 on Aug. 13 and will be contested at bantamweight instead of at 125 pounds, according to MMAFighting.com. News of the cancellation was initially reported by Combate.

UFC on ESPN 40 will move forward with 10 bouts. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight duel between Jamahal Hill and Thiago Santos.

Lipski snapped a two-bout skid in her last outing, when she garnered a unanimous verdict over Mandy Bohm at UFC Fight Night 192 this past September.

Cachoeira has won three of her last four outings in the Octagon, including a three-round verdict ag…

Steven Ray had no time for those hoping for an Anthony Pettis renaissance.

Tactical takedowns, positional advances and suffocating control carried Ray to a unanimous decision over the former Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder, as their Professional Fighters League lightweight semifinal headlined PFL 7 on Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28.

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Pettis (25-14, 1-4 PFL)—who had submitted to a modified twister from the Scotsman in June—once again struggled and ultimately failed to maintain a manageable distance. Ray set the tone with a strong first round, where he executed a takedown, passed to side control and threatened with a north-south choke. Pettis survived but conceded another takedown in the middle stanza, at which point his counterpart transitioned to the back and cemented his position with a body triangle. Ray slowed down across the final five minutes and allowed…

Pictures: 2022 PFL 7 Playoffs - 2022 PFL 7 Playoffs MORE FROM OUR CHANNELS

EVENTS / FIGHTS

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Who will win at UFC 281?

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The 2022 Professional Fighters League Playoffs commence Friday at 6 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 PFL playoffs are here, and the company built a card around them that contains both prelims – a pair of qualifiers for next year’s season – and the dreaded postlims. Before we get to the latter, six solid fights take the stage. The night begins with a qualifying contest at 205 pounds for a pair of fighters that failed to make the semifinals, in Syndicate MMA’s Hendricks (9-4, 3-1 PFL) and powerful Norwegian Hamlet (9-4, 3-3 PFL). The first assignment of the evening – a rematch, as these two battled last year and Hendricks notched a submission – goes to referee Kevin MacDonald, and the fighters touch gloves to seal the cage around them and begin the evening’s hostilities. Hendricks pushes off with a front kick as Hamlet advances immediately, and Hamlet swarms him with a loop…

Updated PFL Playoff Brackets: 155 & 205 MORE FROM OUR CHANNELS

EVENTS / FIGHTS

POLL

Who will win at UFC 281?

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