Martial Arts News

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22wredTJ-Dc&w=560&h=315] A storied kickboxing rivalry that began over a decade ago will see its rubber match play out atop Glory: Collision 3 for heavyweight gold.

On Saturday, Glory Kickboxing will put on a blockbuster pay-per-view offering with heavyweights in the main and co-headlining slots. The marquee matchup pits Rico Verhoeven (58-10, 18 KOs) against Jamal Ben Saddik (36-8, 1 NC; 29 KOs) for all the marbles. All 20 competitors on this kickboxing showcase event successfully made weight ahead of the show.

Since losing a decision to Semmy Schilt at Glory 4 in 2012, Verhoeven has gone on an incredible run inside the Glory ring, winning his next 20 fights with the organization. The champ successfully defended his strap nine times, including once over Ben Saddik in 2017 in an absolute thriller that ended in the fifth frame. Along the way, Verhoeven also entered into a pair of one-night Glory heavyweight tournaments in 2013 and 2…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t70sSmSX-8&w=560&h=315] The bantamweight title tilt atop the latest KSW offering feels like a postlim after the two goliaths hit the scales in the co-main event.

At KSW 64, the fight card at the Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland, will be capped off by a 135-pound championship affair pitting Sebastian Przybysz (8-2) against Bruno Augusto dos Santos (10-2). Despite gold on the line in that one, all eyes will instead be on the super heavyweight slugfest between Mariusz Pudzianowski (15-7, 1 NC) and Serigne Ousmane Dia (2-0). Like the days of Pride Fighting Championships, one competitor comfortably eclipsed the 300-pound mark with no issues. Two preliminary fighters did miss weight, but the event is now cleared to carry on.

Przybysz wrested the bantamweight belt from Antun Racic at KSW 59 in a bit of an upset, surviving a knockdown and making it to the end to capture a decision after five hard-fought rounds. The challenger Santos has gone…

BREAKING: Multiple sources inform me Josh Emmett has booked his UFC return against Dan Ige at #UFC269. This card is amazing. https://t.co/piGxeq51Oa

— Cole Shelton (@ColeShelton91) October 22, 2021 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. Top-10 Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweights will dance on a card that is already stacked from bow to stern. The year-end UFC pay-per-view card of UFC 269, which already has a full main card as listed by the organization, has gained another major fight. Josh Emmett (16-2) will make his return after a year and a half away to take on Dan Ige (15-4) in a battle that practically guarantees action from bell to bell. The news of this Dec. 11 booking was first reported by BJPenn.com late on Thursday, and it was subsequently by multiple outlets and the UFC’s broadcast partner of ESPN on Friday.

The fight …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsR89SPixaQ&w=560&h=315] After nearly a month off, the Legacy Fighting Alliance is back with a vengeance in a mile-high arena in Colorado.

LFA 116 goes down in the Dobson Arena in Vail, Colo., on Friday night on UFC Fight Pass. Capping off the 13-fight billing is a middleweight clash pitting Josh Fremd (7-2) against Renato Valente Alves (8-4). Of the 26 competitors to hit the scales – including the first eight in the amateur ranks – only one fighter missed weight: Dan Argueta (138)*, who came in two pounds above the bantamweight limit. His matchup with Rodney Mondala will otherwise continue as planned, although Mondala will receive a percentage of Argueta’s purse as a result.

Fremd will be looking to rebound from the first knockout loss of his career, as he fell short to future Ultimate Fighting Championship signee Gregory Rodrigues in May by knockout at the end of the middleweight tournament. Three wins under the LFA banner led h…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC8Avuctzqw&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. Editor's note: The article has been updated at 9 p.m. ET on Oct. 21 to reflect a change in the weight classification. The upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship main event has gone through several transformations before setting on a new weight class on Thursday night.

At UFC Fight Night 196 Media Day on Wednesday, Paulo Costa stated matter-of-factly that he would not be able to reach the middleweight limit of 186 pounds come Friday for the weigh-ins. There were immediate concerns their headlining matchup would be scuttled, as Costa admitted to weighing 211 pounds on Wednesday afternoon, thus requiring a drastic 25-pound cut in less than 48 hours.

During that interview with the media, Costa hoped that he and Marvin Vettori could meet at 195 pounds or higher,…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9_7lsqQm5A&w=560&h=315] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Professional Fighters League now has an anthem by famed musician Wiz Khalifa. On Thursday, the PFL announced via press release that partner and investor Khalifa, a Grammy nominee, has created a song for the league. The song, titled “Million Dollar Moment,” was written in honor of the fighters involved in the 2021 season of the PFL tournament. In addition to its release, Khalifa will perform the track live at the event on Oct. 27 at its championships show.

“I had a great time making this song with [music producer] Sledgren because it allowed me to create something that will be a big part of the PFL with my MMA family,” Khalifa said in the release. “I can’t wait to perform it at the Championship next w…

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. At a combined age over 80, this December Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight tilt will be among the eldest in divisional history. On Wednesday, Clay Guida (36-21) announced on his Instagram that he would be taking on Leonardo Santos (18-4-1) at UFC on ESPN 31. The two longtime lightweights will toe the line on Dec. 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“We’ve got a Veteran matchup December 4th on ESPN!!!” Guida wrote when posting a matchup image of he and his opponent. “Wrestling vs. JiuJitsu See ya in Vegas!!! The Best is yet to Come!!!”

Guida will be taking this match four days before his 40th birthday, and the 57-fight vet last competed in August where he fell short by split decision to Mark O. Madsen. “The Carpenter” will be entering into his 32nd UFC bout when he faces Santos, tying Diego Sanchez for the sixth-most in …

Kevin Lee received a temporary suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for a banned stimulant.

Lee tested positive for the amphetamine Adderall in relation to his UFC on ESPN 30 loss to Daniel Rodriguez. The NSAC voted to further extend a temporary suspension during a Wednesday hearing. Lee’s case is expected to be heard at the next commission meeting on Nov. 17.

Lee released a statement via Instagram apologizing for his failed drug test.

“I have tested over the limit allowed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in my most recent fight. In 2018 I was diagnosed with Adult ADHD, it has always affected me,” Lee wrote. “I did not discover real treatment for the diagnosis until 2020 when I was recovering from my double knee surgeries. I was prescribed Adderall from a doctor to improve my mental Health. I told representatives from USADA but did not apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption from the NSAC before my last fight. For that…

WHAT A COMEBACK FOR BRUNO SILVA

[ #UFCVegas40 | Prelims LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/GlR4TlL5EE

— UFC (@ufc) October 16, 2021 After two impressive wins in the UFC’s middleweight division, former M-1 champion Bruno Silva is slated to return to the Octagon in less than two months.

In an interview with Sherdog.com, Silva revealed that UFC matchmakers called his manager after his victory at UFC Fight Night 195.

“My initial plan was to return next year, but when my manager called me on the day following the event with a very interesting proposal to fight [at UFC 269] in December… I agreed immediately,” Silva said.

Silva is scheduled to sign his bout agreement on Wednesday, but he was unable to reveal the name of his opponent.

“He is not in the top 15 middleweight rankings yet, but I accepted the proposal immediately because he is a great opponent. He is taller than me and likes to stand and bang and not stall fights. I …

Credit: Joao Baptista Credit: Joao Baptista Credit: Joao Baptista

It sounds like Paulo Costa won’t even attempt to make the contracted middleweight limit for his UFC Fight Night 196 headlining bout against Marvin Vettori on Saturday.

During a media day for the event on Wednesday, the Brazilian revealed that he currently weighs 211 pounds. He also indicated that there is already some type of agreement in place to go forward with the bout.

“My weight right now is 96 kilos (211 pounds),” Costa said. “What happened yesterday, [my manager] Wallid [Ismail] talked with some people with him, Ali [Abdelaziz], his manager I think, and it’s not on the schedule to make 185 [pounds] anymore. It’s another weight. I’m not exactly [sure] which weight yet.”

While nothing has currently been announced regarding an agreement for a catchweight bout against Vettori, “Borrachina” hopes that his opponent will be open to fighting at a weight above 185 pounds.

“I think this fight w…

A matchup of middleweight knockout artists is on tap for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Jan. 15, as Joaquin Buckley will lock horns with Abdul Razak Alhassan.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report by MMA Ideas. The card is headlined by a featherweight showdown between Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze but does not yet have an official venue or location.

Buckley rose to prominence on the strength of a 2020 “Knockout of the Year” victory against Impa Kasanganay at UFC Fight Night 179. The 27-year-old Missouri native is 3-2 in the Las Vegas-based promotion, with additional KO wins against Jordan Wright and Antonio Arroyo to his credit.

Alhassan, meanwhile snapped a three-bout skid with a 17-second head kick knockout of Alessio Di Chirico at UFC on ESPN 30 on Aug. 28. The 36-year-old Fortis MMA product won four of his first five Octagon outings — all inside of a round — before dropping successive fights against Mounir Lazzez, K…

Sergio Pettis is scheduled to make his first bantamweight title defense when he faces Kyoji Horiguchi at a Bellator MMA event on Dec. 3.

The pairing was first announced by the promotion on the Morning Kombat show. The card takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and airs on Showtime.

Pettis claimed 135-pound gold with a five-round verdict against Juan Archuleta at Bellator 258 on May 7. The Roufusport export is currently on a four-bout winning streak that includes wins over Ricky Bandejas and Alfred Khashakyan in the California-based promotion. Before signing with Bellator, Pettis went 9-5 in the UFC while competing at both bantamweight and flyweight.

Horiguchi was briefly a dual-promotional champion in both Rizin and Bellator but was forced to relinquish his belts after suffering a knee injury. In his return to action, the American Top Team member captured the Rizin throne again with a first-round knockout of Kai Asakura this past December. Horig…