Martial Arts News

BOOM. Welcome to the BKFC @PlatinumPerry - Watch out 175ers pic.twitter.com/qUKrQpj6q0

— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) October 26, 2021

Mike Perry is headed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

The UFC veteran has signed a multi-fight deal with BKFC, with a debut date yet to be determined. The organization confirmed the signing following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

“Let’s skip all the formalities!” Perry said a release. “This sport is evolving, and I am here to strike fear into the hearts of my competitors! I plan to intimidate the world when I show what a truly skilled combat specialist is capable of with his bare hands. I will dismantle the opposition and reach the glory I have longed for my entire life. I will be crowned King of the streets and King of combat sports! They will make me a Platinum Crown and carry me on the bloody backs of my defeated rivals! I am here to go strai…

Fabian Edwards will step in for the injured Norbert Novenyi Jr. and face Charlie Ward at Bellator 270.

Promotion officials confirmed the new middleweight booking following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. Novenyi Jr. announced that a torn ACL forced him to withdraw from the event. Bellator 270 takes place at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, on Nov. 5 and is headlined by a clash between Peter Queally and Patricky Freire for the vacant lightweight championship.

Edwards, the younger brother of UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards, began his professional tenure with nine consecutive victories, including four under the Bellator MMA banner. The 28-year-old Team Renegade product is coming off back-to-back losses against Costello van Steenis and Austin Vanderford in his last two outings.

Anchored at SBG Ireland, the 40-year-old Ward has been victorious in six of seven appearances within the California-based promotion. Ward went 2-0 in 2020, posting victories against…

Light heavyweight grand prix semifinal winners Vadim Nemkov and Corey Anderson topped the payroll for Bellator 268.

The Arizona Department of Gaming recently released salaries from the event, which took place at the Footprint Center in Phoeniz, Ariz., on Oct. 16.

Nemkov, the promotion’s reigning 205-pound champion, earned $250,000 for his fourth-round submission of Julius Anglickas ($150,000) in the evening’s main event. Anderson, meanwhile, pocketed $200,000 for a first-round TKO of ex-champ Ryan Bader ($150,000) in the co-headliner. Nemkov and Anderson will square off with light heavyweight gold on the line at an as yet to be determined event next year.

The only other six-figure earner on the card was former UFC lightweight king Benson Henderson, who garnered $150,000 for a decision loss to Brent Primus ($50,000) in a featured 155-pound contest.

Note: The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do not include any performance-based or discretion…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

The original pairing for the middleweight finals of “The Ultimate Fighter 29” is slated to go down early next year, as Bryan Battle will lock horns with Tresean Gore on Feb. 5.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. Gore was forced to withdraw from their bout at UFC on ESPN 30 on Aug. 28 after suffering a knee injury. The UFC Fight Night event does not yet have an official location or headliner.

With Gore out, Battle captured the “TUF 29” crown with a second-round submission of Gilbert Urbina at the event. The man known as “Pooh Bear” has won five straight outings as he heads into his sophomore Octagon appearance.

Gore was 3-0 as a professional before his stint on “TUF 29,” where he bested Ryder Newman and Urbina to reach the middleweight finals before being derailed by the aforementioned injury. Gore is anchored at American Top Team Atlanta.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1htnOtjiPw&w=560&h=315]

While the Ultimate Fighting Championship is hitting the road for its pay-per-view events, it has remained at its home base for the majority of its schedule since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Normally, a UFC Fight Night card is a chance for the Las Vegas-based promotion to travel throughout the United States — as well as overseas — build its fanbase and allow fighters with local ties to get a little extra shine. It’s something UFC president Dana White hopes to resume sometime in the near future.

“We’ve got to get back on the road,” White said Saturday folllowing UFC Fight Night 196. “We’ve got to start going to places like Oklahoma and all these other small towns that we do Fight Nights in. We eventually have to get back to work. I’m looking forward to it. Sooner than later.”

On the other hand, White admits that it can be nice to having everything close to home at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. However, w…

Oron Kahlon (left) missed weight (3lbs too heavy) for his scheduled fight tomorrow at #DWCS. He will be fined 20% of his purse.

Javid Basharat wasn't happy about it and didn't shake hands with Kahlon. Kahlon called him a terrorist soon after.... pic.twitter.com/N5pflxW2wU

— Marcel Dorff (@BigMarcel24) October 25, 2021 There will be some added animosity heading into the bantamweight showdown between Oron Kahlon and Javid Basharat on Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series.

Following weigh-ins on Monday morning, Kahlon, who hails from Israel, can be heard calling his opponent a “terrorist” during a face-off. Basharat is based in England with the London Shootfighters but is originally from Afghanistan.

Perhaps some of the tension during the face-off stems from Kahlon’s struggles on the scales, as he missed weight by three pounds for the bout, which led to Basharat refusing a handshake from his opponent. The two exchanged words prior to …

It was almost like Fedor Emelianenko turned back the clock.

The Russian’s legendary hand speed was front and center in the Bellator 269 headliner, as he knocked out former interim heavyweight title challenger Timothy Johnson 1:40 into the opening round at VTB Arena in Moscow. It was Emelianenko’s fourth victory in his last five outings in Bellator, but there was something different about his most recent performance.

“That was really special,” Coker told assembled media after the event. “I’ve been in the fight game a long time and for him to really deliver in his hometown in front of all of his fans, it was really fun to watch. It was a real special night and like I said, being a promoter for so long there’s a few times that just capture that moment in time and really this was that night.

“I was like, wow, at 45 he can still bring it. He threw combinations at Tim that I haven’t seen for a little while, honestly. I think the pressure of him being at home really h…

All but one of the 12 athletes slated to compete on Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series made weight on Monday.

The lone exception was Oron Kahlon, who tipped the scales at 139 pounds for a bantamweight clash against Javid Basharat (136). The fight will proceed as planned, but Kahlon will be fined 20% of his purse.

The Contender Series takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday night and airs on ESPN+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The featured bout on this week’s card is a middleweight tilt pitting Jansey Silva (185.5) against Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (186).

Silva has compiled a 7-1 record while competing exclusively for the Brazilian organization Watch Out Combat Show. The 26-year-old Tata Fight Team member has finished five of his wins by knockout or technical knockout.

Russia’s Omargadzhiev is 12-0 since beginning his professional tenure in 2013. The CSKA Moscow representative has earned eight of his triumphs by KO/TKO and two via submission.

Co…

Credit: M-1

A matchup between up-and-coming featherweights Movsar Evloev and Ilia Topuria is in the works for UFC 270.

The pairing was first reported by the Red Fury MMA Instagram page and has since been confirmed by multiple outlets. UFC 270 takes place on Jan. 22 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and is headlined by a heavyweight title unification bout between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane.

Evloev is unbeaten in 15 professional appearances — including five triumphs in UFC competition. The 27-year-old Russian last appeared at UFC 263, where he outpointed Hakeem Dawodu on June 12. Evloev has gone the distance in each of his Octagon triumphs, also earning wins over the likes of Nik Lentz, Mike Grundy, Enrique Barzola and Seung Woo Choi.

Spain’s Topuria is 11-0 as a pro, a run that includes a 3-0 mark within the Las Vegas-based promotion. The Brave Combat Federation veteran is coming off back-to-back first-round knockout victories against Damon Jackson and …

Troubled former fighter Jason Miller is facing a pair of felony charges for a bar fight that occurred in September, according to a report from TMZ Sports.

The UFC and Strikeforce veteran is facing charges of assault and battery after allegedly breaking a man’s ribs outside a San Fernando, Calif., bar last month. The man Miller injured initially elected not to file charges but later changed his mind after a hospital visit. That resulted in police charging Miller with felony battery and felony assault.

The news comes on the heels of “Mayhem” being arrested for felony domestic violence in Los Angeles on September 10. The 40-year-old was held on bail of $1.385 million after a women called 911 screaming for help and police arrived at the scene to find her with marks on her face and neck. Miller initially resisted being taken into custody and was tased and cuffed as a result.

The former “Bully Beatdown” host has a lengthy history of running afoul of the law. Less th…

The knee that opened the cut!

VODs available herehttps://t.co/Md8kjceRGe#RIZIN #MMA #RIZINFF #RIZIN31 pic.twitter.com/0BhoaQ3ASs

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) October 24, 2021 Deep champion Juntaro Ushiku now has another piece of championship hardware to add to his trophy case.

Ushiku defeated Yutaka Saito via technical knockout in the Rizin Fighting Federation 31 headliner to capture the promotion’s featherweight crown on Sunday in Yokohama, Japan. A flying knee from Ushiku opened a gash on Saito’s head and forced doctors to call the contest at the 4:26 mark of Round 2.

Ushiku has won eight of his last nine professional appearances dating back to November 2018, while Saito sees a four-bout winning streak snapped in defeat.

Huge upkicks by Saori Oshima (@cb_saori)

VODs available herehttps://t.co/Md8kjceRGe#RIZIN #MMA #RIZINFF #RIZIN31 pic.twitter.com/N6HO4ciZ4N

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin…

What a historic night for Fedor Emelianenko and #Bellator in #Moscow!

This was the 's th pro win.#MMA #Bellator269 pic.twitter.com/llxTdLvpm0

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 23, 2021 Fedor Emelianenko was in top form in his victory over Timothy Johnson at Bellator 269.

After a few tense exchanges in the early going, “The Last Emperor” dropped Johnson with a three-punch combination as his opponent rushed forward. Once Emelianenko landed, Johnson crashed to the canvas and the fight was immediately stopped at the 1:40 mark of Round 1. Considering that Johnson was coming off a loss to Valentin Moldavsky in an interim heavyweight title bout, it might be the most impressive victory of Emelianenko’s Bellator tenure.

“I think maybe this is one of the most important wins in my career, taking into consideration the location, the country, the age,” Emelianenko said during Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Taking into consideratio…