Martial Arts News

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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…

[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…