Martial Arts News

After Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, Justin Gaethje wasn’t pleased with the direction the UFC took with the lightweight division.

In recent months, the former World Series of Fighting champion has voiced his displeasure with the Las Vegas-based promotion. That frustration reached its peak when Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler were booked to fight for the vacant 155-pound belt at UFC 262 this past May. That was in part because Dustin Poirier elected to pursue a lucrative trilogy bout against Conor McGregor, but Gaethje, who was coming off a defeat to Nurmagomedov at UFC 254, was left out of the title picture entirely.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Gaethje says he has mended fences with the UFC after signing a contract extension. The 32-year-old Genesis Training Center product is scheduled to lock horns with Chandler at UFC 268 on Nov. 11, while Poirier seems destined to challenge Oliveira for lightweight gold in the future.

“I was probably more bitter at t…

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

A women’s flyweight clash pitting Maycee Barber against Montana De La Rosa is in the works for UFC 269.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. UFC 269 takes place on Dec. 11 and features a women’s bantaweight title tilt between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena. A location and venue has yet to be announced.

Barber halted a two-bout skid in her last outing, as she captured a split-decision triumph against Miranda Maverick at UFC on ESPN 27 on July 24. The 23-year-old earned a promotional contract on Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series and won her first three Octagon appearances before falling to Roxanne Modafferi and Alexa Grasso in back-to-back fights.

De La Rosa has fought twice thus far in 2021, battling Mayra Bueno Silva to a majority draw at UFC Fight Night 186 before stopping Ariane Lipski via second-round TKO at UFC Fight NIght 189. “The Ultimate Fighter 26” alum is 5-2-…

Azamat Murzakanov machte Beratungen einfach.

Der ungeschlagene Russe nivelliert Matheus Scheffel mit Schlägen in der ersten Runde ihres Lichts schwergewichts-Attraktion auf Dana Whites Anwärter-Serie am Dienstag bei der UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Murzakanov (10-0) schloss die Show 3:00 in Runde 1. Er war einer von fünf Konkurrenten—A. J. Fletcher, Joanderson Sa de Brito, Victor Altamirano und Carlos Candelario waren die anderen-die ausgezeichnet wurden Ultimative Kampfmeisterschaft verträge während Woche 1 der Saison 2021.

Betrieb hinter einem Drei-Zoll-Reichweite Vorteil, die 6-Fuß-2 Scheffel (14-7) versuchte und scheiterte, sein Gegenüber in Schach zu halten mit body kicks. Murzakanov stürmte vorwärts, umging das Feuer und ließ den Brasilianer mit einem rechten Haken fallen, dann lieferte er zwei stehend-zu-Boden-Schläge dieser erzwungene Schiedsrichter Herb Dean zu Akt.

Eine ungeschlagene Gladiators Academy Aussicht, Fletcher abgeholzt Leonardo Damiani mit einem flie…

Touted by American Kickboxing Academy training partners Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier as the future king of UFC lightweight division, Islam Makhachev has only one loss among his 21 professional fights.

Adriano Martins, the man who defeated Makhachev via TKO at UFC 192 some six years ago, recently accepted an invitation from Chute Boxe leader Diego Lima to join the camp of lightweight champ Charles Oliveira after two years training at American Top Team. Makhachev sees Rafael dos Anjos as an opponent who is capable of derailing the Makhachev hype train when they square off at UFC 267.

"I fought  [Rustam] Khabilov and Makhachev in consecutive fights,” said Martins, who defeated Khabilov by split decision at UFC Fight Night 81. “My camps were based on not allowing them to corner me and, if it happened, using my striking and judo to not let them be comfortable. I believe dos Anjos is a very smart guy who has weapons to neutralize Islam. Pressure and judo…

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. Sherdog's live DWCS 2021 Week 1 coverage kicks off Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 The welterweights touch gloves and Season 5 of the Contender Series is underway. Damiani lands a counter right during an early exchange. Fletcher attacks the lead leg with a low kick. Fletcher is utilizing back-and-forth movement as he lands another leg kick. Damiani pressures with heavy punches, allowing Fletcher to time a level change and land a takedown. Damiani works his way back up against the cage and eventually gets separation. Damiani lands a low kick of his own and then denies a Fletcher takedown attempt. Fletcher lands a spinning back kick to the body then resets. Moments later, the American…

Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley were compensated handsomely for their Showtime boxing match on Sunday night.

According to disclosed salary figures released by the Ohio State Athletic Commission, both Paul and Woodley received $2 million for their 190-pound bout. Paul defeated the former UFC welterweight champion via split-decision after eight rounds at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

It is likely one of the biggest paydays ever earned by Woodley. In his last bout in which salary figures were released, “The Chosen One” garnered a $200,000 check for a loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC on ESPN 9 in May 2020. In his last appearance as welterweight champion, Woodley received $500,000 for a loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235.

Note: The disclosed purses reported by state athletic commissions do not include any performance-based or discretionary bonuses that may be awarded to a fighter by the promotion. Additionally, the reported figures do not reflect any deduc…

Daniel Rodriguez spoiled Kevin Lee’s welterweight debut at UFC on ESPN 30, but it was a potentially costly victory.

Rodriguez must have an X-ray on his left hand and if positive, will need doctor clearance to avoid being sidelined until Feb. 25. At a miniumum, “D-Rod” is suspended until Sept. 28 with no contact until Sept. 19. Lee, meanwhile, is suspended until Oct. 13 with no contact until Sept. 28 due to a cut above his right eye. Rodriguez defeated Lee via unanimous decision in a featured 170-pound matchup.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission released a full list of medical suspensions from the event to mixedmartialarts.com. UFC on ESPN 30 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night and saw Giga Chikadze defeat Edson Barboza via third-round TKO in the evening’s headliner. Chikadze is suspended until Sept. 28 with no contact until Sept. 19, while Barboza is out until Oct. 13 with no contact until Sept. 28.

Five other fighters from UFC on ESPN 3…

Undefeated lightweight prospect Usman Nurmagomedov will return to action in October when he meets Patrik Pietila at Bellator 269.

The promotion announced the booking on Tuesday. Additionally, ex-heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov, who was initally slated to lock horns with Tyrell Fortune, will instead face Said Sowma on the card. An undisclosed injury knocked Fortune out of the matchup.

Bellator 269 takes place at the VTB Arena in Moscow on Oct. 23 and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Fedor Emelianenko and Timothy Johnson. The event marks the California-based promotion’s debut in Russia, and the main card airs on Showtime, with specific broadcast details to be revealed soon.

The 23-year-old Nurmagomedov, who is the cousin of retired former UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, has kicked off his professional career with 13 straight victories. After stints with Gorilla Fighting Championships, UAE Warriors and Brave FC, the American Kickboxing Academ…

Kyle Reyes, a 22-fight veteran who has competed in several regional MMA promotions over the course of his career, has died at the age of 30.

Multiple coaches and fighters mourned Reyes’ passing on social media Monday. According to a GoFundMe account, Reyes recently had reconstructive surgery for a torn biceps in his left arm, and one day later, he was found unresponsive in his room.

“The doctors had found out he had an infection in his lung, pneumonia causing his right lung to collapse, oxygen levels at 50 which caused his brain to swell. He also had a temperature of 102 degrees,” the post read.

One week after surgery, Reyes was still on a ventilator, according to the GoFundMe account post, and doctors were concerned the fighter had suffered brain damage due to the swelling in his brain. At the time, however, Reyes was in stable condition and it was hoped that he could be taken off the ventilator.

“I’m telling you, my homeboy was good,” UFC fighter Trevin…

Even though he is just 28 years old, Kevin Lee appears to have reached a crossroads in his mixed martial arts career.

“The Motown Phenom” lost for the fourth time in five outings at UFC on ESPN 30, dropping a unanimous decision to Daniel Rodriguez in his 170-pound debut on Saturday. Earlier in his promotional tenure, Lee looked like a star on the rise as he won nine of his first 11 appearances before falling to Tony Ferguson in an interim lightweight title bout at UFC 216 in October 2017. The loss to Rodriguez was Lee’s first bout since March 2020 after undergoing surgery on both of his knees.

“Didn't have a good performance this last time out but honestly after 500 days away and multiple surgeries, I'm proud of what I was able to do,” Lee wrote on Instagram. “I tried climbing a very tall mountain and this was just another speed-bump on the way. My best performances are ahead of me and I know that. I don't care if I have to bump my head to get there I won't stop until…

Liliya Shakirova Accepts Sanction for Violation of UFC Anti-Doping Policy https://t.co/df2xPjTUUj

— USADA (@usantidoping) August 30, 2021

One-time UFC competitor Liliya Shakirova has accepted a two-year suspension for a violation of the promotion’s anti-doping policy, USADA announced Monday.

Shakirova tested positive for meldonium in an out-of-competition sample collected on Dec. 5 in her home country of Uzbekistan. Meldonium is used to treat heart conditions, among other issues, but in terms of performance enhancing benefits, it is believed to enhance the body’s capacity to carry oxygen. It is listed in the category of hormone and metabolic modulators on the UFC banned substance list.

Shakirova would have avoid a violation had she declared her use of Meldonium prior to entering the USADA drug-testing pool, but she did not make such an admission. As a result, her two-year sanction is retroactive to Dec. 5, 2020.

The 29-year-old made …

Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from mixed martial arts with a 29-0 mark as the UFC lightweight champion, but at least one training partner believes “The Eagle” could reach similar heights in the competitive grappling world.

Two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championship gold medalist Yuri Simoes, who trains with Nurmagomedov at American Kickboxing Academy, told Ag.Fight that the Dagestani’s skill set would translate well to the ADCC arena.

“I’ve already trained with many top jiu-jitsu players who like to be on top, pressuring to pass the guard, but his game is different. It´s too much pressure,” said Simoes, who fell to Fan Rong via unanimous decision in his MMA debut under the One Championship banner last October. “Unlike the jiu-jitsu guys, his goal is not to pass the guard or mount to get points. He tries the transitions to punish and cause pain to the opponent.”

Simoes said it’s up to Nurmagomedov to decide how far he wants to go in…