Martial Arts News

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfkBghODmps&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 action Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweights won’t disappoint when they are locked in the cage in March. In a past episode of Michael Bisping’s podcast “Believe You Me” on Jan. 14, Paul Craig (15-4-1) hinted that his next opponent would be Nikita Krylov (26-8). On Friday, the promotion revealed that the fight had been made official, with the two throwing down at UFC Fight Night 204 inside London's O2 Arena on March 19. In their combined 55-fight careers, Krylov and Craig have only gone the distance four times.

Krylov has alternated wins and losses in his last six, with an inconsistent return to the UFC in his last five outings that has seen him win against Ovince St. Preux and Johnny Walker. Those victories are interspersed by setbacks to Jan Blacho…

Both One Championship kickboxing finalists showed little difficulty punching their tickets to the featherweight grand prix finale.

In the One: “Only the Brave” headliner, “Sitthichai” Anulak Jansuk barely broke a sweat overcoming Davit Kiria in the semifinal of the featherweight (155-pound) tournament. Former Lumpinee Stadium welterweight king and Glory lightweight titleholder Sitthichai dictated the pace of the match, forcing his opponent to fight off his back foot for most of the contest. The Thai fighter took the initiative, scoring cleaner shots than the decidedly stiff Kiria throughout their three-round clash.

Sitthichai CRACKS Davit Kiria with a head kick! #ONEOnlyTheBrave #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/rc2olSkmmO

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) January 28, 2022 In the second frame, Sitthichai comfortably displayed a wide array of punches and kicks with little concern of anything coming back his way. Right before…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdo5gGr7E10&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. One Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight’s loss is another’s gain in this era of constant fight replacements. On Thursday, Makhmud Muradov (25-7) announced on Instagram that he had injured his arm and will no longer be competing at UFC Fight Night 202 on Feb. 26. A day later, the organization set a replacement for him in Wellington Turman (17-5), who will step in to face Misha Cirkunov (15-7) at the Las Vegas event inside the UFC Apex. This news first came from MMA Junkie on Friday, and this new pairing has been confirmed by other outlets.

Turman was originally slated to take on Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 270, but Vieira fell ill and pulled out of the matchup on the day of weigh-ins. In his last time out, he fought Sam Alvey and secured a strange split decisio…

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. A surging Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight has a top-10 opponent for a classic striker vs. grappler affair. According to a report from MMA Fighting on Thursday, Andre Muniz (22-4) has his sights set on moving up the rankings, and he will find his next test in Uriah Hall (17-10) on April 16. The two middleweights have agreed to fight one another at the UFC Fight Night on that date, one which does not currently have a venue and location, although the UFC Apex in Las Vegas is on the table. The intriguing stylistic clash has been subsequently confirmed by Muniz on his Instagram on Friday.

Since earning a roster spot on the third season of Dana White's Contender Series, Muniz has shot up the ranks with four wins in four appearances. Debuting by being triumphant on the scorecards over Antonio Arroyo in 2019, the next three …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DETWiAmQUmc&w=640&h=360] Bellator MMA's first event of 2022 is officially set after the Bellator 273 weigh-ins took place.

All fighters but one made weight for the event, which is headlined by a heavyweight unification match between champion Ryan Bader and interim titleholder Valentin Moldavsky. The lone fighter to miss weight is Fabricio Franco (151.2), who came in 5.2 pounds over the featherweight limit, and his bout against Weber Almeida (145.2) was canceled as a result. The card also features two former champions in Benson Henderson (155.8), who goes up against Islam Mamedov (155.6), and Darrion Caldwell (135.8), who looks to correct a two-fight skid at the expense of newcomer Enrique Barzola (136).

This is the first heavyweight bout for Bader (28-7, 1 NC) since 2019 when "Darth" poked Cheick Kongo in the eye to result in a no contest. Since then, Bader lost his light heavyweight belt to Vadim Nemkov, won a unanimous decision…

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. The next Ultimate Fighting Championship card on ESPN has lost its headliner. Per MMA Kultura on Thursday, and later from Ariel Helwani, Jan Blachowicz (28-9) has been forced out of his light heavyweight main event at UFC on ESPN 33 against Aleksandar Rakic (14-2) due to an undisclosed injury. According to the reports, Blachowicz will not be replaced as the matchup will be preserved for a later date, and the UFC is searching for an entirely new main event to sit atop the show at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 26.

Blachowicz was looking to get back in the win column after surrendering his belt to Glover Teixeira in late 2021. The former champ had a five-fight win streak snapped at the conclusion of UFC 267, where he fell victim to a rear-naked choke from the Brazilian. Blachowicz first claimed the vacant strap by …

Dana White on why he wasn't out there for the main event and didn't put the belt on Francis Ngannou.#UFC pic.twitter.com/8Z0BKBwILM

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) January 27, 2022 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. Ultimate Fighting Championship head Dana White is adamant that there was nothing to read from his nonappearance at the end of UFC 270. Historically, White has served as the person to wrap the belt around the champion’s waist after Bruce Buffer announced the victor in the UFC. While he did hand the flyweight belt to Deiveson Figueiredo at the conclusion of the UFC 270 co-main event, he was noticeable absent for the heavyweight headliner. Instead, matchmaker Mick Maynard presented “The Predator” with his unified title, instantly drawing questions from fans and media alike as to why White was not present. Many speculated that…

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. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight champ Jessica Andrade is moving back to her old stomping grounds of 115 pounds. Last Friday, the news first broke from MMA Fighting, who reported that Andrade (22-9) will be dropping back down to strawweight at an unnamed UFC Fight Night card on April 23. At this event that may be held in the UFC Apex, contingent on the status of the coronavirus pandemic, Andrade will be facing Amanda Lemos (11-1) in a battle between hard-hitting Brazilians. The two women will be competing over the course of five rounds as the main event, and the news has since been confirmed on Thursday by Lemos on her Instagram page.

Andrade shifted gears to the flyweight division after dropping two to Weili Zhang and Rose Namajunas. In her 125-pound debut, she handed Katlyn Chookagian her second career stoppag…

Times are tough for 38-year-old combat sports veteran Melvin Guillard.

According to a release from the Association of Boxing Commissions on Thursday, the Florida State Athletic Commission has denied Guillard’s license to compete at BKFC: Knucklemania 2 on Feb. 19. The event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., was to feature a scrap between Guillard and ex-boxer Ulysses Diaz, but it has been shut down due to a “serious concern” regarding Guillard’s health.

“On the surface, the fight might look competitive,” the release noted, as transcribed by MMA Junkie, “but after doing due diligence, the executive director Patrick Cunningham found a serious concern with the health of Melvin Guillard. In checking the certified ABC record sources, BoxRec and the MMA database, it was determined Guillard is suspended and requires a neurological exam, but even if he cleared that Guillard had lost the past four BKB bouts and had a lost nine mixed martial art [fi…

After over 14 years with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, longtime staple Jeremy Stephens is moving on.

The news first broke on Thursday from MMA Fighting that Stephens (28-19, 1 NC) had concluded his latest UFC contract and has chosen not to re-sign with the promotion. Confirmed shortly thereafter by multiple outlets, his contract came to an end following his meeting with Mateusz Gamrot in July 2021, where he fell short by first-round kimura. Stephens is winless in his last six appearances dating back to 2018, with five defeats and a no contest from an eye poke in the midst of his skid.

Stephens will be leaving the UFC after 34 trips to the Octagon, where he currently holds the spot for the fourth-most fights in company history. “Lil Heathen” had his hand raised 15 times over the years, shifting back and forth from lightweight to featherweight and back. Notable victories include finishes of Rafael dos Anjos and Josh Emmett, as well as decision verdicts over the l…

Featherweight Friday

Challenger Series: Week 4 atMarch 11th9 PM ET@fuboTV #PFLonFuboTV pic.twitter.com/VTERQGnZev

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 27, 2022 The Professional Fighters League Challenger Series continues to set events for this year, with the next on the docket coming between featherweights. A press release on Thursday stated that the promotion’s fourth Challenger Series showcase will take place between competitors in the 145-pound division. The eight featherweight prospects vying for a single spot on the roster or a developmental deal for future appearances will hit the cage on March 11 inside the Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. The Dana White's Contender Series-inspired series will air every Friday starting on Feb. 18 for eight weeks of events.

Previous PFL Challenger Series cards include one for light heavyweights on Feb. 18, the second between welterweights on Feb. 25, and the March 4 four-piece of women’s lightweights. All …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuJa4p7eN54&w=560&h=315] The stage for Eagle FC's North American debut is set after a weird, yet fairly uneventful, weigh-in ceremony.

Eagle FC 44 will be the organization's first event after introducing 165- and 175-pound weight divisions, while abolishing the 170-pound class internally. Headliner Sergei Kharitonov initially came overweight for his heavyweight bout against Tyrone Spong, but later weighed in under the 266-pound limit. Meanwhile, miscommunication between the commission and the promotion wound up giving fighters a three-hour window to step on the scales instead of the standard two. Besides those hiccups, only one fighter on the card, Dylan Salvador, officially missed weight, as the French fighter came in 3.4 pounds over the featherweight limit.

This main event will mark the third mixed martial arts bout for Spong (2-0), who returns to the sport for the first time since 2013 when he won a unanimous decision over Ang…