Martial Arts News

When you beat an opponent that was widely regarded as the greatest female fighter of all-time, you get a little bit more power at the bargaining table. That doesn’t mean Julianna Pena is going to make Amanda Nunes wait, however.

Pena scored arguably the biggest upset of 2021 — and one of the biggest in UFC history — when she submitted Nunes to claim the bantamweight crown in the UFC 269 co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Given Nunes’ track record, it seems possible that a rematch could be imminent, and that’s something Pena is willing to embrace.

“We can do it next, I’m free next month, two months from now – whenever they want to do it I’m ready,” Pena said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “If she wants to do a rematch, we can do a rematch. I’ve always been a company girl. Whatever they want to do — we’ll talk about that later. I just want to enjoy the moment right now.”

After dropping the opening round to the reigning …

After five minutes in the Octagon with Charles Oliveira in the UFC 269 main event, Dustin Poirier liked his chances.

“I felt good,” Poirier said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “After the first round sitting on my stool going into the second, [I’m] drinking water and thinking ‘I’m gonna be the world champion tonight.’ It’s such a crazy thing that we do.”

Poirier flashed his power in Round 1, dropping Oliveira while landing a whopping 54 significant strikes in the frame. Momentum shifted in the second stanza, however, when he rolled to escape an armbar attempt and ended up on his back. Poirier would spend the rest of the round on the canvas as Oliveira battered him with elbows from above. Poirier’s efforts to scramble out of the position were limited because he didn’t want to risk being submitted, but as it turned out, that approach only delayed the inevitable.

“I knew his jiu-jitsu was some of the best — most submissions in UFC history coming into thi…

ABSOLUTE CHAOS AND FANFARE AFTER PEÑA WON #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/e0dNAdKBkn

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 12, 2021

Julianna Pena’s upset victory over Amanda Nunes shocked fans and fighters alike, but Michael Chiesa’s attempt to celebrate with his teammate, while well intended, ultimately was a moment to forget.

When Pena submitted Nunes with a rear-naked choke in the second-round in the UFC 269 co-main event, video footage from promotion broadcast partner ESPN captures Chiesa climbing over the railing in an attempt to rush the Octagon in the immediate aftermath of the fight. According to UFC president Dana White, Chiesa suffered some minor cuts and bruises before being escorted out of the arena by police. The incident was later confirmed by MMAFighting.com with someone from Chiesa's camp.

“How do I say this without embarrassing the guy,” White said at the UFC 269 post-fight press conference. “He had a little bit too much to drink this …

Following a memorable year-end pay-per-view at UFC 269, the promotion was feeling generous with its post-fight bonus payouts.

All told, eight fighters received $50,000 checks, including reigning lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and newly-crowned bantamweight queen Julianna Pena.

Oliveira received a “Performance of the Night” bonus — one of six awarded on the evening — for his third-round submission of Dustin Poirier in the evening’s main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “Do Bronx” absorbed some heavy shots early, turned the tide in Round 2 with ground-and-pound and then quickly tapped his foe with a rear-naked choke 62 seconds into the third frame to defend the 155-pound belt.

Pena also garnered a “Performance of the Night” award thanks to a victory that may very well go down as the “Upset of the Year” in 2021. Pena baited Amanda Nunes into a brawl in the second round, and when the Brazilian fatigued, “The Venezuelan” landed a takedown and secured …

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 269 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The cries of those who question Charles Oliveira’s validity as champion have grown faint, their sound blunted by yet another virtuoso performance from the finely tuned Brazilian. “Do Bronx” retained the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title, as he submitted Dustin Poirier with a standing rear-naked choke in the third round of their UFC 269 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Poirier (28-7, 20-6 UFC) surrendered 62 seconds into Round 3.

Oliveira (32-8, 20-8 UFC) assaulted the Louisianan with vicious kicks and knees to the body for much of the first round, all while pushing a merciless pace. Poirier answered in spurts and even dropped the Chute Boxe rep with a right hook, but it soon became clear that the champion’s strategy was taking its intended toll. Oliveira scrambled into top position e…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 269 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 269 “Oliveira vs. Poirier” coverage will begin Saturday at 6 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:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the …

A long-rumored middleweight title rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker is now official for UFC 271.

The promotion announced the bout during the UFC 269 broadcast on Saturday. UFC 271 takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston on Feb. 12. Adesanya defeated Whittaker via second-round knockout at UFC 243 to claim the 185-pound belt on Oct. 5, 2019.

Since his first meeting with Whittaker, Adesanya has gone 3-1 in UFC competition, with successful 185-pound title defenses against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori. “The Last Stylebender” suffered his first career defeat at UFC 259, when he moved up a division and fell to Jan Blachowicz via unanimous decision in a light heavyweight title bout this past March.

Whittaker, meanwhile, has gone 3-0 since his loss to Adesanya, with a decision wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum solidifying his status as the division’s No. 1 contender. The 30-year-old PMA Super Martial Arts rep…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 269 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Power was once again the great equalizer for Josh Emmett.

The Team Alpha Male mainstay kept his name relevant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight division, as he took a three-round unanimous decision from Dan Ige in the featured UFC 269 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27, all for Emmett (17-2, 8-2 UFC).

Ige (15-5, 7-4 UFC) faced an uphill climb after a difficult first round. Emmett decked him with a thudding right hand, jumped into top position with his ground-and-pound and established an early advantage. Ige answered in Round 2, where he dazed the Phoenix native with a left hook and followed it with a burst of punches in a bid to finish. Those efforts failed to net the desired result, and Emmett slowly but surely regained his faculties. Ige appeare…

Things are heating up ! pic.twitter.com/SJOtON9vkn

— ares_fighting (@ares_fighting) December 11, 2021

After taking a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ares Fighting Championship returned for its sophomore event on Saturday at Marcel Cerdan Arena in Paris, France.

The Ares FC 2 headliner was a showdown between former Ultimate Fighting Championship 125-pound title challenger Wilson Reis and fellow UFC alum Taylor Lapilus. The contestants tested each other’s skills on the feet in the first frame. In front of a partisan crowd, Lapilus denied all his opponent’s takedowns and dropped Reis (24-12, 0-1 Ares) once. The Brazilian immediately bounced back and swept his opponent in hopes of securing a rear-naked choke. Lapilus escaped the tough spot and retaliated with some punches, finishing the round on top.

In the second frame, Lapilus scored with knees to his opponent’s body before staying true to his “Double Impact” nickname and knocking…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHuSeTGEc_o&w=640&h=360] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 269 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Not every fight on the final Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view card on the year will make it to the finish line, but both championship tilts are official. The main event will see lightweight champion Charles Oliveira take on Dustin Poirier in a heavily anticipated clash. Meanwhile, the co-main event sees bantamweight queen Amanda Nunes look to make another defense of her title against Julianna Pena. While all championship fighters made weight, preliminary competitors Priscila Cachoeira and Alex Perez were both heavy by three pounds and .25 pounds, respectively. As a result of medical issues for Perez' opponent Matt Schnell, the fight has been scrubbed from the lineup.

This marks the first title defense for "Do Bronx," who won the belt after picking up a T…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Renan Barao has the date of his comeback set.

Barao (34-9, 1 NC) saw his release from the promotion in 2019 on the heels of five losses. The Brazilian has attempted several times to compete since then, with a Taura MMA event scuttled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Most recently, Barao was booked against Tyson Duckworth at Premier FC 32 in Massachusetts on Nov. 19, but Duckworth never boarded his plane from Alaska and withdrew from the match due to personal reasons within his camp. “The Baron” already has arranged for his next fight.

On Wednesday, Barao revealed to Super Lutas the date, location and organization of his comeback: Jan. 28 in Miami at Eagle FC 44. Sherdog has since confirmed the signing, although his opponent has not yet been determined.

“I had an excellent camp at Pitbull Brothers to fight at PFC in November in Springfield, [Mass.], but unfortunately the fight was canceled, now I’m back to Na…

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— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) December 9, 2021 Fans of Rizin Fighting Federation can breathe a sigh of relief as the traditional New Year’s Eve show in Japan is going big again.

Per a press release from the league on Thursday morning, Rizin has made official a number of matches expected to take place on Rizin 33 on Dec. 31. In an announcement press conference helmed by Rizin head Nobuyuki Sakakibara, the travel ban implemented in Japan will allow for international competitors coming to the country until the year’s end. Additionally, the Saitama Super Arena will be allowed to fill to full capacity, up from the 50% past Rizin shows had been permitted by the government.

“We have been officially told th…