Martial Arts News

Kamaru Usman and Rose Namajunas authored back-to-back candidates for “Knockout of the Year” at UFC 261, and both received some extra financial compensation for their efforts.

Usman retained his welterweight crown with a knockout of Jorge Masvidal in Saturday’s headliner at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, earning a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award in the process. A right hand from Usman dropped Masvidal, and several follow-up hammerfists sealed the deal 62 seconds into Round 2, giving “The Nigerian Nightmare” his 14th straight UFC triumph.

In the co-main event, Namajuas garnered the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check thanks to a title-winning finish of Weili Zhang. “Thug” Rose faked a low kick, then went upstairs with her lead leg, landing a perfectly-placed head kick on her opponent’s chin. Namajunas followed Zhang to the mat and finished the victory with strikes at the 1:18 mark of the opening stanza to reclaim t…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 261 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Whether it’s on a full camp or short notice, Kamaru Usman has the antidote for Jorge Masvidal. Usman (19-1, 14-0 UFC) left no doubt in their rematch at UFC 261, knocking out “Gamebred” in the second round of Saturday’s welterweight championship headliner at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The end came 62 seconds into Round 2, as Usman floored Masvidal (35-14, 12-8 UFC) with a picture-perfect straight right hand and sealed the deal with approximately five hammerfists on the canvas.

“I know with my fundamentals I am the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet right now,” said Usman, who has won 14 consecutive fights in UFC competition, the second most in promotion history behind Anderson Silva.

The card was the UFC’s first in front of a capacity crowd since March 2020, and Usman gave them something…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 261 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC 261 coverage will begin Saturday at 5:45 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:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Scottie Smith sc…

HE ONLY NEEDED ONE ARM @TouchNgo_

Stream #UFC261 on ESPN+ https://t.co/11j8ptNbRf pic.twitter.com/azQV4WvYwo

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 25, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 261 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Randy Brown’s rangy striking and crafty submission game proved to be a lethal combination against Alex Oliveira at UFC 261.

Brown (13-4, 7-4 UFC) won for the third time in his last four outings in the evening’s featured preliminary bout, submitting the veteran Brazilian with a rear-naked choke in front of a sellout crowd at Vystar Veteran’s Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday night. “Rude Boy” ended the welterweight bout 2:50 into Round 1, as he locked in a one-arm rear-naked choke. Oliveira (22-10-1, 2 NC, 11-8, 1 NC UFC) has lost five of his last seven promotional appearances.

The “Cowboy” enjoyed some success early, when he …

The heavyweight champion @phildefriesmma retains his title!! Becomes the first person to finish Tomasz Narkun in KSW!! #KSW60 pic.twitter.com/kkxsN3mnFU

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) April 24, 2021

Two reigning champions notched title defenses in the latest event held by Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki.

The KSW 60 main event saw heavyweight champion Phil De Fries (20-6) stop 205-pound titleholder Tomasz Narkun (18-4) in a clash for the heavyweight crown. The pair already met at KSW 47, where the Ultimate Fighting Championship vet outwrestled “Giraffe.” The rematch started with a flying knee attempt from Narkun, who missed the target but recomposed for a short exchange on the feet. Wanting to prove that he made some adjustments after their first clash, “Giraffe” shot for a successful takedown. A scramble phase followed before Narkun went for a kneebar. De Fries fought out of the submission attempt and ended on top of Narkun, ultimately forcing his opponent to c…

Clay Collard gets a 2nd knockdown!!! Can Pettis survive the 2nd round?!?!#2021PFL1LIVE NOW ESPN2https://t.co/T11Ogp2ycR pic.twitter.com/IDS9fOS5rV

— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 24, 2021

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

The Professional Fighters League threw plenty of promotional heft behind Anthony Pettis after he signed as a free agent in February. Perhaps more attention should have been paid to Clay Collard.

Damaging power punching combinations and merciless forward pressure spurred Collard to a unanimous decision over the former Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder in the 2021 PFL 1 headliner on Friday at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Scores were 29-27, 29-27 and 29-28, all for Collard (19-8, 1-0 PFL).

Pettis (24-11, 0-1 PFL) spent much of the first roun…

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

Sherdog's live PFL 2021 Season Opener coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knLB3-lS9iU&w=640&h=360] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 261 live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to pay-per-view with a trio of title fights. All three championship bouts are now official at UFC 261 after the official weigh-ins took place. Sitting atop the card is a welterweight title rematch between champ Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal. All fighters on the card successfully made weight.

The UFC welterweight king is on a roll as Usman (18-1) has won 17 straight fights. Undefeated inside the Octagon, Usman has defended his title three times since winning it from Tyron Woodley in 2019. After a back-and-forth battle with Colby Covington, Usman picked up a dominant decision over Masvidal (35-14) and then knocked out Gilbert Burns. “The Nigerian Nightmare” stepped on the scales weighing 169.5 pounds.

After taking th…

The beginning of the end!!!!#LFA105 pic.twitter.com/USTsqDA08e

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) April 24, 2021

Pierangela Rodriguez Giunta is the new Legacy Fighting Alliance strawweight champion.

The main event of LFA 105 saw Giunta (6-0) face Svetlana Gotsyk in both of their promotional debuts. The power advantage of "La Fiera" became apparent seconds into the fight as she managed to hurt Gotsyk (13-5) several times. "Phoenix" would have her moments in the fight as Giunta's defense left her open to punches, but the Panama native kept advancing forward. The beating eventually became too much for Gotsyk to sustain as the fight was stopped at 1:16 of Round 5.

The co-main event was a featherweight battle between Jake Childers and Canaan Kawaihae. It was Kawaihae (6-1, 1 NC) that took advantage of the spot as the fighter locked in a ninja choke after stuffing a takedown. Childers (8-2) had nowhere to go and was forced to tap after just 2…

#AndStill ACA Heavyweight champion!

Tony Johnson finishes Dmitry Poberezhets via TKO! #ACA122 pic.twitter.com/sVCTnfO5v3

— ACAMMA (@ACA_League) April 23, 2021 Things might not go well for the U.S.-based fighters competing in an MMA organization that has been sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury. In December, Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov and his companies including the fight team Akhmat Fight Club and MMA organization Absolute Championship Akhmat were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury. The sanctions were levied for “serious human rights abuse across several countries in the Western Hemisphere, Middle East and Eurasia.” Kadyrov himself was marked in the past for extrajudicial killings and other gross violations of international human rights.

As a result, Kadyrov’s companies, including ACA, are forbidden to involve any Americans, with the Treasury Department strictly prohibiting any transactions with these properties a…

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 Ultimate Fighting Championship belts will now be on the line at the tentpole event in June. Per UFC President Dana White on Friday in an interview with Bill Simmons, the promotion is looking to set up a rematch for the middleweight throne. Instead of Robert Whittaker taking on champ Israel Adesanya (20-1) again, however, Marvin Vettori (17-4-1) will get his crack at the title on June 12. Adesanya and Vettori will toe the line atop UFC 263, according to Combate, which does not currently have a location booked. The destination could be the UFC Apex in Las Vegas unless another venue opens up, but White did state at the UFC 261 press conference that the organization was looking at staging the card in Arizona.

The originally intended billing for this card was indeed Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2, but Whittaker was unable to make the …

The Clash of Champions!!!Pumped up @TomaszNarkun and calm @phildefriesmma.

Watch #KSW60 all over the world on KSWTV. KSW App available on iOS and Android. pic.twitter.com/sPXusQu8s0

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) April 23, 2021 It's champ vs. champ in the main event of KSW 60, and both men vying for the heavyweight throne were cleared to compete without issue. KSW 60 will take place on April 24 in Lodz, Poland, with a pair of title tilts serving in the main and co-main events. The headliner sees Philip De Fries (19-6) try to keep an iron grip on his throne against former challenger and current light heavyweight king Tomasz Narkun (18-3). The two first met in 2019, and the Brit emerged victorious after a dominant 25-minute battle. De Fries sees himself on a win streak of seven straight, and as he looks for his fifth consecutive defense, he made weight at 264 pounds.

Narkun, who holds the promotion's all-time record for the most consecutive title defens…