Martial Arts News

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The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday handed out sanctions to UFC fighters Carlos Felipe and Zviad Lazishvili for failed drug tests in relation to their respective bouts.

Felipe tested positive for the anabolic agent Boldenone and its metabolites in relation to a unanimous decision loss to Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 195 on Oct. 16. As a result, he was fined 15% of his $28,000 purse, which amounts to $4,200 -- as well as $489 in attorney’s fees. Felipe was also suspended 18 months, meaning he is eligible to return on April 16, 2023.

Felipe’s attorney told MMAFighting.com that the heavyweight denies using a banned substance but agreed to the sanctions because he doesn’t want to pay what could amount to more than $10,000 for defense fees and additional testing.

Meanwhile, Lazishvili was suspended for nine months after testing positive for the estrogen blocker clomiphene in relation to his Octagon debut against…

There have been a few updates to the Bellator 274 lineup ahead of the Feb. 19 event.

After a scheduled main card bout between Keri Melendez and Veta Arteaga fell through for undisclosed reasons, a flyweight tilt pitting DeAnna Bennett against Justine Kish has been added to the evening’s featured lineup. Sherdog.com confirmed the changes with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com.

Additionally, promotion officials informed Sherdog.com that a light heavyweight showdown between Christian Edwards and Kevin Haley has been added to the preliminary draw, and a featherweight scrap between Georgi Karakhanyan and Adam Piccolotti has been elevated to the main card.

Bellator 274 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Neiman Gracie and Logan Storley. The main card airs on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on the Bellator YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports Yo…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has updated its COVID-19 policy ahead of Saturday’s pay-per-view card.

According to a memo obtained by MMAjunkie.com, athletes and corners participating at UFC 270 who are vaccinated will not be required to quarantine or test other than a pre-departure PCR or antigen test. A proof of vaccination will be required, and fighters and their teams will be reimbursed for the cost of any tests prior to their arrival at the event.

UFC 270 takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday. The policy has been approved by the California State Athletic Commission and is similar to one utilized by Bellator MMA during recent events held in the state, according to the report.

Meanwhile, unvaccinated parties will be required to test upon arrival and again on Thursday of fight week, unless they arrive on Thursday or later — in which case they will only need to test once. Quarantining is required until the initial test comes back …

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A welterweight showdown pitting Miguel Baeza against Dhiego Lima is set for a UFC card on April 16.

Both fighters confirmed the booking on social media following an initial report from Best Fight Picks. UFC Fight Night does not have a location or headliner at this time.

An alum of Dana White’s Contender Series, Baeza has lost two straight in the Octagon after beginning his promotional tenure with three consecutive finishes. During his current skid, the MMA Masters representative dropped an entertaining three-round verdict to Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Fight Night 189 last June before suffering a third-round TKO defeat at the hands of Kalinn Williams at UFC Fight Night 197 on Nov. 13.

Lima is also on a two-bout losing streak after falling to Belal Muhammad and Matt Brown in a pair of 2021 UFC appearances. Prior to that, the two-time “Ultimate Fighter” cast member authored a three-fight wi…

Joshua Silveira will take the next step in his mixed martial arts career with Professional Fighters League.

The Legacy Fighting Alliance two-division champion announced on Monday that he has signed with Professional Fighters League. Silveira fought at both 205 and 185 pounds with LFA, but it’s currently unclear in which division he will compete in PFL. The organization’s season format for 2022 does not yet have a confirmed date.

“Today marks a new chapter in my life; I’ve signed a new contract with [PFL] and I’m so grateful to be put in a position where I can finally give back to all the amazing people that been with me constantly making sacrifices to help me achieve my dreams,” Silveira wrote on Instagram. “Words honestly can’t describe the feelings, but all I can say is these decisions were made a long, long time ago! I’m exactly where I need to be! Not too late, not too early… exactly where I need to be!”

Anchored at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla.…

On the heels of a massive upset loss to Julianna Pena at UFC 269, Amanda Nunes will have a new training home.

According to a report from Brazilian outlet Combate, Nunes is leaving American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., to start her own team in the Sunshine State. Her wife, UFC strawweight Nina Nunes, will accompany her in the transition.

Nunes joined ATT following a third-round technical knockout loss to Cat Zingano at UFC 178 on Sept. 27, 2014. “Lioness” then embarked on an extended run of success with the renowned camp, winning 12 consecutive bouts while becoming a simultaneous two-division champion along the way.

Nunes relinquished the bantamweight crown in a second-round submission loss to Pena on Dec. 12, perhaps the biggest upset of 2021 in MMA. She remains the UFC featherweight champion, however, and the move could potentially clear the way for a clash with two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison, who remains a free agent but has been in talks with the U…

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After snapping a two-bout skid in his last Octagon appearance, Wellington Turman is focused on earning a decisive win over fellow Brazilian Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 270 this Saturday.

"Rodolfo is a great opponent, very good at jiu-jitsu. I respect all the legacy he has built on jiu-jitsu, but we are going to fight under MMA rules on Saturday,” Turman told Sherdog.com. “He improved his striking a lot lately, but I´ve been doing that for much longer and I have very good takedown defense, so I´m really confident to win this one.”

Turman, who is a training partner of UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira and former Glory Kickboxing two-division champion Alex Pereira, revealed that his goal on Saturday is to avoid going to the judges.

“Of course, my goal is keep the fight standing up, but unlike most guys in the division I’m not afraid to go to the ground with him,” said Turman, who has been living in Connecticut for the past seven months. “I´…

A previously rumored bout between Yaroslav Amosov and Michael Page now has a date and venue, as the welterweight championship clash will go down in London on May 13.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Monday. Bellator London takes place at the SSE Arena in Wembley and the main card airs in the United States via Showtime at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. Prelims begin at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT on the Bellator YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV.

Undefeated in 26 professional outings, Amosov claimed welterweight gold with a five-round verdict over Douglas Lima at Bellator 260 this past June. The Ukraine native is 7-0 with the California-based promotion with notable wins over the likes of Logan Storley, Ed Ruth, David Rickels and Erick Silva. Amosov is a multiple time combat sambo world champion.

Page meanwhile, has lost just once in 21 fights — a second-round KO defeat to Lima in the welterweight grand prix at Bellator 221. The L…

A previously rumored bout between Yaroslav Amosov and Michael Page now has a date and venue, as the welterweight championship clash will go down in London on May 13.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Monday. Bellator London takes place at the SSE Arena in Wembley and the main card airs in the United States via Showtime at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. Prelims begin at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT on the Bellator YouTube channel, the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV.

Undefeated in 26 professional outings, Amosov claimed welterweight gold with a five-round verdict over Douglas Lima at Bellator 260 this past June. The Ukraine native is 7-0 with the California-based promotion with notable wins over the likes of Logan Storley, Ed Ruth, David Rickels and Erick Silva. Amosov is a multiple time combat sambo world champion.

Page meanwhile, has lost just once in 21 fights — a second-round KO defeat to Lima in the welterweight grand prix at Bellator 221. The L…

Former UFC bantamweight queen Miesha Tate will move to the flyweight division for her next Octagon appearance.

Tate will make her 125-pound debut against former title challenger Lauren Murphy at a UFC event on May 14. MMAFighting.com was first to report the pairing. The card does not yet have an official location or headliner.

Tate returned from a five-year retirement this past July, where she scored a third-round TKO win over Marion Reneau at UFC on ESPN 26. In her next outing, “Cupcake” fell to Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 198 main event on Nov. 20.

Murphy hasn’t competed since falling to Valentina Shevchenko via fourth-round TKO in a flyweight title tilt at UFC 266. Prior to that, the former Invicta FC champion had been victorious in her previous five Octagon appearances.

Perennially-ranked UFC flyweight Katlyn Chookagian is a free agent – at least for now.

After defeating Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision in a rematch at UFC on ESPN 32, Chookagian revealed that she just fought the last fight on her current deal.

“This was the last fight on my contract, and usually when you have one more, they renegotiate your contract,” Chookagian told assembled media after the event. “So when they offered this fight, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m up for negotiation for a new contract,’ and they were like, ‘Oh no, we want you to fight this [contract] out.’

“That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to cut me, but it’s usually not good news. Hopefully with this performance, I’d like to think they want to keep me. I want to stay here. So hopefully I proved that tonight.”

Chookagian challenged for flyweight gold in 2020, falling to Valentina Shevchenko via third-round TKO at UFC 247. She wasn’t especially competitive in that bout, nor was she again…

After five brutal rounds in the Octagon at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze shared a moment of mutual respect after being transported to a local hospital.

Chikadze posted a photo of the two posing together on social media with the caption “respect” following their UFC on ESPN 32 headlining bout, which Kattar won via unanimous decision. Neither featherweight attended Saturday’s post-fight press conference for precautionary reasons, but it was Chikadze whose face showed the more visible damage in the aftermath.

Respect @CalvinKattar pic.twitter.com/T8GNWX4qNA

— GIGA CHIKADZE (@giga_chikadze) January 16, 2022

While Kattar kept his opponent off balance for the majority of the contest behind punches to the head, standing elbows and the occasional takedown, Chikadze never completely wilted, and he fired back against “The Boston Finisher” to the best of his abilities. It wasn’t enough to extend what was previously a nine…