Martial Arts News

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Already popular in the United States, mixed combat sports events now appear to be gaining a foothold in Brazil.

“Fight Music Show,” an event featuring a mix of professional fighters from various disciplines and celebrities, went down in Brazil on Sunday. The main event featured Brazilian YouTube personality Whindersson Nunes, who has more than 100 million followers on social media, and former four-time world champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas, over eight, two-minute rounds in a boxing match. The event was broadcast by the Combate channel and featured eight fights -- four MMA, one kickboxing and three boxing – in front of a packed arena of 2,000 people at Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina State.

In attendance were notables like Charles Oliveira, Paulo Costa, Wanderlei Silva, Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as well as many other Brazilian celebrities. The interval between the three boxing main e…

After being finished in two of his last three light heavyweight appearances, Ryan Bader had something to prove at Bellator 273.

The Arizona native delivered in front of the home folks, rallying for a gutsy five-round verdict over Valentin Moldavsky in a heavyweight title unification bout at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Saturday night. It was a much-needed victory for Bader on the heels of a 51-second TKO defeat to Corey Anderson in the semifinals of the light heavyweight grand prix in the same venue this past October, but the former two-division champion believes people were burying him a little too soon.

“MMA is a weird, fickle sport,” Bader said at the Bellator 273 post-fight press conference. “They can look at your last fight, even though it’s big guys, small gloves, throwing at each other – the best in the world. You take one step back and people write you off. They don’t look at your body of work. It’s, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ I always knew I w…

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If Ali Abdelaziz gets his way, Kamaru Usman will challenge for UFC middleweight gold at some point in the near future.

The reigning welterweight champion is expected to defend his belt against Leon Edwards next, but if that goes as planned, Usman’s manager envisions a scenario where “The Nigerian Nightmare” moves up a weight class in a bid to become the UFC’s next champ-champ.

“The next victim is Leon Edwards, “Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports. “Great fighter but he will get finished under three rounds. Fact. It’s gonna happen. The welterweight division in the UFC right now is very interesting. Kamaru is gonna beat him. I want him to beat Leon Edwards and then I want him to go fight Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title.”

After a recent interview with GQ where Usman admitted he considered jumping up two divisions last year to avoid a fight against fellow Nigerian Adesanya, such a scenario might seem…

.@RyanBader will face @Kongo4Real on May 6th for a heavyweight championship bout rematch! pic.twitter.com/Dzy6bPA1HH

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) January 30, 2022

Although Fedor Emelianenko wanted to avenge a heavyweight grand prix loss to Ryan Bader in his farewell bout, Bellator president Scott Coker said it was only fair that Cheick Kongo receive the next shot at the promotion’s heavyweight belt.

After Ryan Bader defended the crown with a grueling five-round verdict over interim champ Valentin Moldavsky in the Bellator 273 main event, the promotion announced that the Arizonan’s next title defense would come against Kongo in a rematch in Paris this May. There is unfinished business between the two, as their first meeting in 2019 ended prematurely when Kongo was unable to continue following an accidental eye poke.

“This was a fight that we’d been putting together for a while,” Coker said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It was…

If it ultimately proves to be his swan song, Benson Henderson authored a vintage performance in the Bellator 273 co-main event on Saturday night.

The MMA Lab stalwart ended Isam Mamedov’s 20-bout unbeaten streak at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., winning a hotly-contested split decision that was a classic Henderson nail-biter. “Smooth” has shown a knack for emerging on the right side of the scorecards in such outings, posting a 6-2 record in Bellator and UFC competition in bouts that end via split decision.

After completing the final fight on his existing contract, it’s unclear how long Henderson will continue to make judges’ lives difficult in Bellator — or anywhere else for that matter.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing this for Bellator, so I wanted to soak it all in,” Henderson said at the Bellator 273 post-fight press conference. “I’m not sure if this is going to be my last fight or not, so I wanted to enjoy it, wanted to enjoy the ‘W,’ e…

Credit: Getty/UFC

Chase Hooper will square off against Felipe Dias Colares in a featherweight matchup at UFC Fight Night on May 21.

Hooper announced the booking on social media following an initial report from Combate. It is the first confirmed bout for the event, which doesn’t have an official location or venue.

The 22-year-old Hooper has lost two of his last three Octagon appearances. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum last competed at UFC 263, where he dropped a unanimous decision against Steven Peterson. His 2-2 promotional mark also includes wins over Peter Barrett and Daniel Teymur as well as a defeat at the hands of Alex Caceres.

Colares has also lost two of his last three bouts and is coming off a split-decision setback to Chris Gutierrez at UFC Fight Night 194 last October. The former Jungle Fight competitor is 2-3 within the Las Vegas-based promotion and 10-3 as a professional overall.

Mere moments after a grueling win over Valentin Moldavsky in the Bellator 273 headliner, Ryan Bader already had his next assigment.

The California-based promotion announced on Saturday that Bader’s next heavyweight title defense will come in a rematch against Cheick Kongo at Bellator Paris on May 6. The event will take place at Accor Arena in Paris, France, and the main card will air on Showtime. It is the second Bellator event held in France since MMA was legalized in the country.

"Bringing Bellator to France in 2020 was one of the highlights of my career, and I knew that it was the start of a long run of big events in Paris," Bellator president Scott Coker said. "Here we are ready for our second trip to France and this time we are bringing a heavyweight world title rematch featuring arguably the most recognizable French mixed martial artist in our sports history. It's personally important to me to help grow the sport in France and give these athletes a chance to per…

Sherdog's live Bellator 273 coverage kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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:Mike Fridley scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the r…

#AndStill | @RyanBader unifies the heavyweight division and retains his title tonight at #Bellatro273. pic.twitter.com/5lN7yNxzAy

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) January 30, 2022

When it mattered most, Ryan Bader displayed his championship mettle.

The Power MMA Team stalwart retained his heavyweight crown in the Bellator 273 main event, winning a hard-fought unanimous decision against interim title holder Valentin Moldavsky at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday night. All three judges submitted 48-47 scorecards in favor of Bader, who was defending the belt for the first time since September 2019.

“I thought that fight was really close,” Bader said. “I thought I was doing more damage, rocking him. I knew it was close going to the bell.”

Bader (29-7, 7-2, 1 NC Bellator) nearly put Moldavsky (11-2, 6-1 Bellator) away in short order when he wobbled his Russian adversary with a pair of heavy right hands early in Round 1…

The Paratrooper drops HAMMERS on Spong and finishes him in round 2! #EagleFC44 pic.twitter.com/4KwK0CO6eS

— Eagle Fight Club (@EagleFightClub) January 29, 2022 Sergei Kharitonov, one of the best fighters from the glory days of Pride Fighting Championships, continues to stay afloat in the mixed martial arts world at the ripe old age of 41. Kharitonov trounced fan-favorite striking powerhouse Tyrone Spong Friday night in the main event of Eagle FC 44 in Miami, Fla. Friday night and escaped the skirmish with only a few scratches.

Kharitonov (32-8) absorbed powerful leg kicks and jabs early in the first, but his veteran instincts allowed him to take “The King of the Ring” down easily and dominate from mount position. Spong (2-1) tried to stay on his feet in the second and did well behind the jab, but “The Paratrooper” scored another takedown at the midway point and immediately moved to mount. From there, Kharitonov unloaded punches until referee…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. It may come as a shock that these two Ultimate Fighting Championship all-action mainstays have never crossed paths before. MMA Junkie was the first to break the news on Friday that Donald Cerrone (36-16, 2 NC) will throw down with Joe Lauzon (28-15) at lightweight on April 30. The UFC Fight Night card on that date does not currently have a destination, but it has been confirmed by the promotion’s broadcast partner of ESPN shortly after its announcement. There is no main event scheduled for the event yet, and this new bout likely serves as the highest billed fight of the lineup thus far.

The two longtime vets combine for 64 Octagon appearances, and they have taken home an incredible 33 post-fight bonus checks over their storied careers. Cerrone will tie the record for the most appearances in company history with 38 when he compete…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZsBfyTOFvY&w=560&h=315] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo has embraced the whirlwind since winning his belt back less than a week ago. After four months of hard training at Fight Ready in Arizona, and five rounds of bonus-winning action with Brandon Moreno, Figueiredo could not rest until arriving in Brazil on Thursday. After coming out on top at UFC 270, his team wanted nothing more than to celebrate all through the night. Any hopes of relaxation were out the window for the Brazilian, who found himself surprised by his teammates. Figueiredo spoke to Sherdog after his fight, primed and ready to speak highly of his training partners.

“The climate was so unique,” Figueiredo admitted. “My teammates worked so hard with me for the last four months. Each…