Martial Arts News

OZZY DIAZ IS THE NEW MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION!!!!#LFA127 pic.twitter.com/2UbTecahUl

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 26, 2022 The Legacy Fighting Alliance crowned a new middleweight champion in the main event of LFA 127.

Competing for the vacant title in a classic striker versus grappler match were the hard-hitting Osman Diaz and Brazilian submission specialist Bruno Assis. The striking difference was demonstrated early with Diaz (7-1) flooring Assis (12-6) and then wisely not following him to the floor. A second knockdown would come late in the round with another flurry of punches ending the fight right before the round came to an end. Diaz officially claimed the championship at 4:53 of Round 1.

Featherweights Chase Gibson and Javier Garcia both had great moments in the back-and-forth co-main event. The first round would see each fighter gain back control and threaten with chokes, but it was Gibson (11-5) that ended the frame on top. R…

Romance can be quite a powerful motivator.

Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight contender Matheus Nicolau has grand designs on his division, and he does not plan on being at the top by himself. The upcoming UFC on ESPN 33 card on Saturday will have two important chapters to set up the future of flyweight division, and Nicolau aims to cement his place as a top contender with a decisive win.

Besides the fight between Askar Askarov and Kai Kara France, ranked two and six, respectively, there is one more matchup pitting top-10 flyweights against one another. The Columbus, Ohio, event will also feature a fight between Brazilian Nicolau (17-2-1) and the surging David Dvorak (20-3), with the latter coming off three straight UFC wins. Nicolau spoke to Sherdog about his upcoming bout, and what he plans after it takes place.

“David is a pretty solid fighter [and] well-rounded,” Nicolau admitted. “He has the same number of knockouts and submissions. For being very experience…

UFC finalizing undefeated Casey O’Neill (@kingcaseymma) vs. Jessica Eye (@jessicaevileye) for UFC 276 on July 2, per sources. O’Neill looking to improve to 5-0 in the UFC. Eye looking to hang on to her No. 10 ranking. Who you like in this one? pic.twitter.com/hQ3GNeyAVl

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) March 25, 2022 Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Jessica Eye will try to hold the line in the top 10 in July.

Per the UFC’s broadcast partner of ESPN on Friday, Eye (15-10, 1 NC) will be making her return to the cage after just under a year off against Casey O'Neill (9-0) at UFC 276. The event will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 2, as the conclusion of the promotion’s annual International Fight Week celebration. The fight is expected to be official soon, with O’Neill remarking on the upcoming matchup on her Instagram stories on Thursday.

“Evil” Eye expected to be back in action far sooner than July 2022, with her la…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrpOL-OLSvY&w=560&h=315] Two-time Professional Fighters League champ Natan Schulte will return to action in the organization’s first regular season event of 2022.

The 2022 PFL tournament will kick off on April 20 at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas, with lightweights and light heavyweights on tap for the first fight card. PFL 1: 2022 Regular Season had the lion’s share of its lineup announced, and sources close to the situation informed Sherdog on Friday of its final pairing in the lightweight division. 2018 and 2019 tourney champ Schulte (21-4-1) will be coming back to fight at this event, and he will be taking on Olivier Aubin-Mercier (13-5) in the lightweight division.

Schulte was once booked to fight Aubin-Mercier at PFL 7: 2021 Playoffs in August 2021, but he was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons. In the initial event of the 2021 season, Schulte lost for the first time since PFL’s rebranding when …

WE HAVE A MAIN EVENT!@RazorBlaydes265 is in at 259 pounds ⚖️

[ #UFCColumbus | TOMORROW | LIVE on @ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/IE1bt8yYE6

— UFC (@ufc) March 25, 2022 The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Ohio for UFC on ESPN 33. The card is headlined by a heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Chris Daukaus, who both had no issue coming in under the 265-pound limit. The rest of the 13-fight card also made weight, as there was little to no drama on the scale.

Blaydes enters his fifth UFC main event with a 15-3 record. The heavyweight most recently rebounded from a Derrick Lewis KO defeat by winning a decision over Jairzinho Rozenstruik. "Razor" is 5-1 in his last six bouts, and stepped on the scale weighing 259 pounds.

This is the second main event for Daukaus, who was knocked out by the aforementioned Lewis in his last time out. Prior to the setback, Daukaus had won five straight bouts, four of which were inside the Octago…

Exclusive @GamebredFighter headed to jail on an aggravated battery charge after his alleged attack on @ColbyCovMMA Exclusive video and story on @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/HGJhTz25Kj

— Rosh Lowe (@roshloweWPLG) March 24, 2022 Ultimate Fighting Championship star Jorge Masvidal has entered a plea of not guilty for his charges of battery and criminal mischief.

According to online court records from the Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Courts office, Masvidal has entered a written plea of not guilty for his charges. On Wednesday, “Gamebred” was charged with aggravated battery and criminal mischief, both felonies, following his alleged altercation with Colby Covington on Monday night. Additionally, Masvidal has issued a demand for a trial by jury, and he and his team have requested discovery as well as a waiver to not require his presence at any pre-trial conference. The court date is set for April 21.

Masvidal posted bail after his arrest on …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jfm0bexz9I?start=2144&w=560&h=315] Paige VanZant will once again be the top name on a marquee, capping off the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s first foray into Great Britain this July.

First reported by Ariel Helwani, BKFC head David Feldman announced on the BKFC Show on Thursday that VanZant (0-2 BK) will be headlining the first BKFC event held in Europe. The fight card will be held on July 9 at the Alexandra Palace in London. No additional bouts have been announced, nor did Feldman state the name of her opponent. Feldman also stated that the European tour would continue with a show in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Aug. 6.

Despite going 0-2 in her first pair of fights under the BKFC banner, she will be competing in the main event of this fight night. The flyweight known as “12 Gauge” left the Ultimate Fighting Championship after losing three of her last four, and she debuted with the bare-knuckle league in February 2021. Van…

#ufc #FamilyFirst pic.twitter.com/dhxTq1DnXI

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) March 24, 2022 Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Khabib Nurmagomedov has chosen a side in the Jorge Masvidal-Colby Covington fracas.

On his social media on Thursday, Nurmagomedov called for fighters to stop accepting matches with Covington based on the American’s conduct when building up fights. The former champ took issue with some of the things Covington said in his buildup against Masvidal at UFC 272 in March. Masvidal claimed that Covington spoke ill of his family, including his children, and that did not sit well with “Gamebred” or Nurmagomedov. Masvidal himself promised that it would be “on sight” – meaning that if they ran into one another on the street, they would fight – following their encounter in the Octagon, and Nurmagomedov believes that Covington crossed a line that should never been crossed.

“If you are stronger than someone insid…

.@BellatorMMA’s version of March Madness pic.twitter.com/Ez9zgy2MFM

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) March 24, 2022 The Bellator MMA bantamweight tournament is now on the books.

Per the organization, through its broadcast partner on CBS Sports, the Bellator bantamweight grand prix has its bracket. Instead of eight men, there will be ten, although two will be eliminated on April 28 to make it an even eight. Parts of the tourney, including the Bellator 279 meetings of Juan Archuleta vs. Raufeon Stots for the interim strap, as well as Patrick Mix vs. Kyoji Horiguchi, had already been announced previously. The new additions include Jornel Lugo, Danny Sabatello, Enrique Barzola and Josh Hill.

At Bellator 278 on April 22, the two wild card bouts will go on to determine who faces Leandro Higo and Magomed Magomedov in the quarterfinals. James Gallagher was initially expected to take on Magomedov, but he withdrew due to an injury that will require surg…

The Week 6 Heavyweights face off one last time before they meet again inside the cage on Fight Night!

Dont miss the action tomorrow night on https://t.co/ThxOqQwa7H 9pm ET!#PFLonFuboTV pic.twitter.com/cYn4K3n8WM

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 24, 2022 Professional Fighters League's Challenger Series continues with PFL Challenger Series 6, which features a slew of heavyweight prospects. As expected of an all-heavyweight card, no fighters missed weight. The four-fight billing is headlined by a bout between Bevon Lewis and Marcelo Nunes. It's also worth noting that Brett Martin was replaced by Billy Swanson due to "management issues."

Lewis is a 7-3 fighter that is coming off a 1-3 stint inside the Octagon, with his only victory coming against Dequan Townsend. "The Extraordinary Gentleman" will look to regain momentum after being finished by Trevin Giles in his last bout. This also marks a significant step up in weight, as the former middleweight s…

Exclusive @GamebredFighter headed to jail on an aggravated battery charge after his alleged attack on @ColbyCovMMA Exclusive video and story on @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/HGJhTz25Kj

— Rosh Lowe (@roshloweWPLG) March 24, 2022

Jorge Masvidal has been arrested and is currently in custody for his alleged attack on UFC rival Colby Covington outside a Miami restaurant on Monday night.

The UFC welterweight was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami on Wednesday at approximately 10:27 p.m. local time on charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and criminal mischief. Bail has been set at $15,000.

News of Masvidal’s arrest was first reported by WPLG Local 10 News, which posted video of the fighter entering the facility in handcuffs. Masvidal ran inside without responding to any questions.

Masvidal appeared virtually for a Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting earlier Wednesday to discuss licensing…

UFC superstar Conor McGregor was arrested in Dublin for dangerous driving, according to a report from The Independent.

McGregor was pulled over by the Gardai while traveling between Lucan and Palmerstown in West Dublin. The former UFC two-division champion was reportedly driving his Bentley Continental GT, valued at $187,000, at the time. The vehicle was seized but has since been returned to McGregor.

McGregor was released on bail from the Lucan garda station but is facing charges of dangerous driving. If convicted, the “Notorious” one faces a fine of more than $5,000 and/or six months in prison.

A Gardai spokesperson confirmed to the Independent that a man was detained on Tuesday in relation to the incident but did not name McGregor due to Irish privacy laws.

“Gardaí arrested a man aged in his 30s in relation an incident of dangerous driving in the Palmerstown area yesterday evening, Tuesday 22nd March 2022,” the department said in a statement. “The man …