Martial Arts News

It appears as though a potential interim heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic won’t happen this summer as originally planned.

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UFC president Dana White recently hinted that a Jones-Miocic matchup might happen at UFC 276. Meanwhile, Jones advisor Richard Schaefer told ESPN that the promotion discussed “Bones” facing Miocic with the interim belt on the line in the main event of the July 2 card in Las Vegas.

However, Jones tweeted on Tuesday that Miocic won’t be ready to fight by that proposed date.

“Stipe is saying that he will be at his absolute peak in September,” Jones wrote. “I’m disappointed but patient, I want the heavyweight goat at his absolute best. I’ll wait until September. No excuses.”

Stipe is saying that he will be at his absolute peak in September. I’m disappointed but patient, I want the heavyweight goat at his absolute best. I’ll wait until September. No excuses

— BONY (@JonnyBones…

Renan Ferreira’s first PFL season will forever be remembered for the controversial ending to his debut bout against heavyweight legend Fabricio Werdum.

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Ferreira appeared to tap to an triangle choke early in the bout, but when the gesture wasn’t noticed by Keith Peterson, “Problema” took advantage and pounded Werdum out for what appeared to be a technical knockout victory. However, following review by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, the result was overturned to a no contest.

That, despite two subsequent victories in PFL competition, ultimately kept Ferreira out of the playoffs. Werdum, meanwhile, withdrew from the tournament and appeared to be leaning toward retirement until only recently, when he told multiple outlets that he hopes to fight again for the PFL. If that does prove to be the case, Ferreira would be more than willing to stand across the cage from “Vai Cavalo” again.

“Absolutely. I’d love to get that one back again and …

After its 2020 season was completely scrapped, Professional Fighters League took the approach of many other organizations and utilized a bubble for safety purposes during its 2021 campaign.

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The isolation and quarantining affected athletes in different ways, but for two-time PFL featherweight champ Lance Palmer, it was mostly a negative.

“All my coaches are real-life people that have their own families, their own gyms or businesses that they run. They’re not people that can sit for 17 days in a hotel with me just for my fight,” Palmer said during PFL media day. “During the 17-day quarantine I was by myself and did my own thing. Luckily one of my old teammates, Tyler Diamond, he was by himself also, and we made the best of it. We drilled with each other, we trained with each other every day. But it’s not the same as having your coaches there.”

The proof was in the results, as Palmer went 0-2 in 2021 after 11 consecutive victories from from Novemb…

Even though he fell two spots in the UFC welterweight rankings after a unanimous decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273, Gilbert Burns doesn’t regret the decision to take the fight.

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"That was my 18th fight in eight years in the UFC. I fought some of the toughest guys in two divisions, fought for the belt once and have never been invited to lunch with Dana White like I was right after the war against Chimaev," Burns told Sherdog.com.

According to Burns, big fights and also the possibility of signing a more lucrative new contract were also on the menu during lunch with the UFC president. While Burns says White didn’t give him a list of potential matchups, he already has his own preferences in mind.

"We didnt talk about specific opponents, but I would consider big fights [against] Colby [Covington], [Jorge] Masvidal, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier and the rematch with Chimaev,” he said. "If I could choose, the immediate rematch with C…

Even though he fell two spots in the UFC welterweight rankings after a unanimous decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273, Gilbert Burns doesn’t regret the decision to take the fight.

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"That was my 18th fight in eight years in the UFC. I fought some of the toughest guys in two divisions, fought for the belt once and have never been invited to lunch with Dana White like I was right after the war against Chimaev," Burns told Sherdog.com.

According to Burns, big fights and also the possibility of signing a more lucrative new contract were also on the menu during lunch with the UFC president. While Burns says White didn’t give him a list of potential matchups, he already has his own preferences in mind.

"We didnt talk about specific opponents, but I would consider big fights [against] Colby [Covington], [Jorge] Masvidal, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier and the rematch with Chimaev,” he said. "If I could choose, the immediate rematch with C…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfN1D7oLS-0&w=560&h=315]

Paul Daley’s retirement fight at Bellator 281 suddenly has a little less marquee value.

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After originally being slated to face ex-welterweight champ Andrey Koreshkov, Daley will instead lock horns with Wendell Giacomo at the May 13 event. The promotion confirmed the change on Tuesday following an initial report from Metro News. No reason was given for Koreshkov’s exit.

Bellator 281 takes place at OVO Arena Wembley in London and is headlined by an interim welterweight title tilt pitting Michael Page against Logan Storley. Also confirmed was the postponement of a co-main event showdown between Douglas Lima and Jason Jackson. A date for the rebooking is currently unknown.

Anchored at the Pitbull Brothers camp, Giacomo enters his Bellator debut with a 9-2 career mark. The man known as “White Walker” last appeared at LFA 112, where he defeated Uyran Carlos via unanimous decision thi…

Nate Diaz is getting restless.

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The popular UFC star is ready to fight someone in the Las Vegas-based promotion — as long as it’s not Conor McGregor. Diaz took to Twitter recently to voice his frustration with his current situation.

“I been trying to fight everybody and no go, what’s the hold up UFC?” Diaz wrote. “I’m not fighting Conor, he sucks. I’l fight some one. Quit slow rolling me please. Thanks.”

I been trying to fight everybody and no go what’s the hold up ufc ?I’m not fighting Conor he sucks.I’ll fight some one quit slow rolling me pleaseThanks

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) April 26, 2022

After sitting out all of 2020, Diaz returned to the Octagon at UFC 263 last June, where he dropped a decision to welterweight contender Leon Edwards in a five-round, non-title bout. The Stockton, Calif., native had been linked to a potential matchup against Dustin Poirier, but after UFC 273, Dana White indicated that the …

Francis Ngannou has provided some clarity as to what he wants from the Ultimate Fighting Championship regarding contract negotiations.

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“The Tyson Fury fight has to be part of the discussion,” Ngannou said during on appearance on "The MMA Hour" on Monday. “That’s not an option. It has to be part of the discussion, because if that’s not part of the discussion now, it will never be. If I sign another contract now, and basically the same model of a contract, I’m screwed. It’s not happening ever. So we have to figure out a way to implement this into a contract.”

Ngannou was in attendance for Fury’s farewell fight against Dillian Whyte and joined the heavyweight champion in the ring after his sixth-round knockout victory. Fury, who officially retired from professional boxing, later said Ngannou is on the "hit list" for some type of exhibition bout, with the rule set still to be determined.

Ngannou expressed displeasure with his UFC contract followi…

Ben Rothwell is the latest prominent UFC veteran to sign with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

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The promotion confirmed the deal after Rothwell initially announced the news during an appearance on ”The MMA Hour.” A date for Rothwell’s BKFC debut is expected to be announced soon.

Rothwell was scheduled to face Alexander Gustafsson on May 21, but the bout was canceled after the Kenosha, Wisc., native was released from the UFC for at the time were unknown reasons. Rothwell offered some clarity to the situation on Monday, when he revealed that the Las Vegas-based promotion told him it would not negotiate a new contract until after the fight, which was the last on the existing deal.

“Even if I go in and perform well, knock out Gustafsson in the first round, look great, what’s gonna happen next?” Rothwell said. “They came back and we asked, ‘Are we gonna sign a deal?’ They came back and said, ‘Hey, let’s see what happens after this fight.’ … Th…

While Patrick Mix did get the nod from the cageside judges in his Bellator bantamweight quarterfinal matchup against Kyoji Horiguchi, he still believes he deserved a little more generosity on the scorecards than he received.

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“Patchy” defeated Horiguchi via unanimous decision in their Bellator 279 clash at Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Saturday night, receiving a trio of 48-47 tallies to advance to the 135-pound semifinals. Mix took the ex-Rizin and Bellator champion’s back on multiple occasions in the bout, most notably in a dominant first round in which controlled positioning and threatened with multiple chokes.

“I’m not in charge of the judges, but I thought I had a 10-8 round in the first,” Mix said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I had the back to the entire round, trying to threaten chokes. I brought him from his feet to his back while I was on his back, bent him back twice. I had his back I think in the third rou…

On a busy weekend in MMA, no moment caused more controversy than referee Mike Beltran’s decision to wave off the flyweight championship clash between Juliana Velasquez and Liz Carmouche.

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Carmouche claimed the title when she landed a takedown, moved to the mounted crucifix position and began dropping elbows on her opponent late in Round 4 of the Bellator 278 headliner on Friday night. Though the strikes didn’t appear to be especially damaging, Velasquez had no means to defend herself in the period’s waning seconds, which prompted Beltran to step in on her behalf at the 4:47 mark.

Velasquez immediately protested the ruling in the aftermath of the bout. While action was limited in the initial three rounds, the ex-champ dropped her adversary in the second round and was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards.

“What an odd night!!” Velasquez wrote on Instagram. “I dominated the fight, I dropped her twice on her ass, judges had me up 3-0 and the fight…

Jessica Andrade made history in her first strawweight bout since 2020.

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Andrade became the first fighter in the promotion to win a bout via standing arm-triangle choke when she used the manuever to submit Amanda Lemos in the opening round of their headlining bout at UFC Fight Night 205 on Saturday. “Bate Estaca” had to endure some damage on the feet to close the distance against Lemos, who entered the bout on a five-bout winning streak, but that was all part of the plan. Andrade was just able to put everything in motion a little bit sooner than expected.

“We knew how dangerous she was, especially in the first round. We were very much aware of it,” Andrade said at the post-fight press conference.

“The plan was to tire her out in the first round, maybe second round, so then I could take over in the third. Luckily that happened. I knew that she was going to hurt me, and I had to be cautious about it in the first round, but as soon as I get close qu…