Martial Arts News

A lightweight clash between Islam Makhachev and Thiago Moises will serve as the new main event for UFC on ESPN 26.

The matchup is a replacement for a previously scheduled featherweight showdown pitting Max Holloway against Yair Rodriguez, which was postponed to an as yet to be announced date after Holloway suffered an injury. MMAjunkie.com was first to confirm Makhachev vs. Moises as the new five-round headliner.

UFC on ESPN 26 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on July 17 and also includes Miesha Tate’s return from retirement, as she squares off against Marion Reneau at bantamweight.

A teammate of former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is currently on a seven-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Most recently, the 29-year-old Dagestani submitted Drew Dober with an arm triangle in the third round of their UFC 259 clash on March 6.

Moises, meanwhile, is on a three-bout winning streak in the Octagon. After subm…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

More details have emerged surrounding the arrest of UFC veteran Luis Pena last weekend.

According to an affadavit from the Boca Raton Police Department, Pena was charged with robbery by sudden snatching, battery and criminal mischief following a fight with his girlfriend on June 14. The fighter known as “Violent Bob Ross” is currently in Broward County Detention Center, where he awaits transport to Palm Beach County. ESPN was first to report the new details in the case.

Pena allegedly smashed the woman’s phone on the ground after accusing her of looking at other men on Instagram. Pena’s girlfriend told police that a fight then ensued in which she ended up with a laceration on her lip along with scratches and redness on her knuckles.

Boca Raton Police received an anonymous tip that night that Pena was suicidal, in possession of a gun and knife and was planning to return to his girlfriend’s home to kill her. Pena refused to p…

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If all goes as planned, Bethe Correia’s farewell bout will take place this fall.

The former bantamweight challenger is expected to meet Karol Rosa at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Oct. 2. Combate was first to report the booking. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a light heavyweight scrap between Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker.

Correia was originally slated to have her retirement bout against Yanan Wu at UFC on ABC 1 on Jan. 16 before an appendicitis forced her to withdraw from the event. Correia last appeared at UFC on ESPN 14 on July 25, when she lost a unanimous decision to Pannie Kianzad. The 38-year-old Brazilian has been victorious in just two of her last eight UFC bouts dating back to August 2015.

Rosa is currently on a five-bout winning streak, with three victories coming within the Las Vegas-based promotion. Thus far, the 26-year-old Brazilian has gone the distance in victories over Lara Procopio , Vane…

Considered to be a natural light heavyweight, Bruno Henrique Cappelozza was not among the favorites to make the Professional Fighters League playoffs, but after a 46-second knockout of Ante Delija, the underdog Brazilian is first in the heavyweight standings.

Even in the event of a loss to Muhammed DeReese at PFL 6 on Friday, Cappelozza has a great chance to be among the final four heavyweights in the playoff bracket come October. The 32-year-old Corinthians MMA product revealed to Sherdog.com what it was like to return to active competition after a nearly three-year absence.

“It was certainly the most difficult time of my career,” he said. “I went through a very hard time with a long series of injuries and surgeries, but God blessed me with that invitation to the PFL.”

Cappelozza is confident heading into his matchup with DeReese, who is coming off a first-round TKO defeat at the hands of Denis Goltsov at PFL 3 on May 6.

“My record shows how aggressive I am. All…

Tremendous ratings, youngest audience in MMA and global growth. @combateglobal is the top-ranked contender for the MMA world championship. https://t.co/s4ZlLWXo4Y

— Campbell McLaren (@campbellcombate) June 22, 2021

Combate Global has a new home for the English-language broadcasts of its events.

The promotion announced Tuesday that it has signed a multi-year broadcast agreement with CBS Sports and Paramount+. Combate Global will debut on June 25 on CBS Sports Network before transitioning to Paramount+ on July 9 through the remainder of the year.

Paramount+ is expected to air 30 live Combate Global events annually in 2022 and 2023, while CBS Sports Network will complement that coverage with a one-hour recap show following each event. Additionally, CBS Sports Network will feature re-airs of past Combate events, while the promotion’s entire fight library will be available on Paramount+.

"The addition of Combate Global’s exciting MMA acti…

A strawweight clash pitting Karolina Kowalkiewicz against Jessica Penne has been booked for UFC 265.

Promotion officials announced the pairing on Tuesday. UFC 265 takes place on Aug. 7 at an as yet to be announced location and features a women’s bantamweight title tilt between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena.

A former 115-pound title challenger, Kowalkiewicz is currently mired in a four-bout losing streak. After suffering a first-round knockout loss to Jessica Andrade at UFC 228, the Lodz, Poland, native dropped three successive decisions to Michelle Waterson, Alexa Grasso and Xiaonan Yan. Kowalkiewicz hasn’t tasted victory since taking a split verdict over Felice Herrig at UFC 223 in April 2018.

Penne, meanwhile, returned from a four-year hiatus to snap a three-bout skid at UFC on ESPN 22, where she garnered a split-decision triumph against Lupita Godinez on April 17. The former Invicta FC atomweight title holder is 3-4 during her tenure with the Las Vegas-based…

Chan Sung Jung needs doctor clearance to return to action after his left shoulder popped in and out during a victory over Dan Ige in the UFC on ESPN 25 headliner this past Saturday.

“The Korean Zombie” must have a left shoulder MRI and, if positive, doctor clearance or he will be sidelined until Dec. 17. At a minimum, Jung is suspended until July 20 with no contact until July 11 due to a left eyebrow laceration.

The Nevada Athletic Commission released a full list of medical suspensions from the event to mixedmartialarts.com. UFC on ESPN 25 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw Jung take a five-round verdict over Ige in the main event. Ige is suspended until July 20 with no contact until July 11 due to a lip laceration.

Six other athletes from UFC on ESPN 25 are facing six-month terms if they don’t receive doctor clearance: Davey Grant (nasal bone fracture), Dhiego Lima (right knee), Kanako Murata (left elbow), Matthew Semelsberger (nose), Josh Parisian (nasa…

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Jeremiah Wells will replace Ramazan Emeev and lock horns with Warlley Alves at UFC Fight Night 190 on Saturday.

The bout was updated on broadcast partner ESPN's event page. UFC Fight Night 190 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Alexander Volkov and Ciryl Gane.

A former CES MMA and Cage Fury Fighting Championships welterweight title holder, Wells makes his Octagon debut with an 8-2-1 career mark. He won his last two bouts under the CFFC banner, including a second-round submission of Marco Smallman in September 2019 to claim the vacant 170-pound belt.

Alves has been victorious in two of his last three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 30-year-old Brazilian defeated Mounir Lazzez via first-round TKO at UFC on ESPN 20 on Jan. 20.

Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was the top earner at UFC 263, as he took home a disclosed payday of $500,000 for title defense in the evening’s main event.

The Arizona Department of Gaming recently released salaries from the card, which took place on June 12 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. While win bonuses were initially redacted by the commission, those figures were later released.

Adesanya’s opponent, Marvin Vettori, garnered the second-highest payday on the card with a $350,000 disclosed salary. Adesanya took a five-round verdict over “The Italian Dream” in a rematch of a April 2018 bout, which the Nigerian-born Kiwi won via split decision.

Elsewhere, fan favorite Nate Diaz received $250,000 for a unanimous decision loss to Leon Edwards ($220,000) in a five-round, non-title welterweight affair. Diaz is one of the promotion’s biggest draws and was making his first appearance since a loss to Jorge Masvidal for the “BMF” title in November 2019…

Kanako Murata fought valiantly even after her left arm was severely compromised at UFC on ESPN 25, but ultimately the Japanese judoka was unable to continue in her bout against Virna Jandiroba after two rounds.

Murata recently shared an X-ray of her dislocated left elbow, which was injured after being trapped in a Jandiroba armbar in the opening frame. Murata continued to fight for the entirety of the second stanza with her left arm held low, which allowed her opponent to connect with multiple right hands and high kicks.

“Thank you for your generous support [UFC],” Murata wrote on Instagram. “I will be stronger and come back.”

Buena con los puños y en le piso! @VirnaJandiroba quiere finalizar! #UFCVegas29 pic.twitter.com/B8Alv6jmL4

— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) June 19, 2021

The former Invicta FC title holder entered Saturday night on an eight-bout winning streak, which included a unanimous decision triumph over Randa Markos …

It took a full 15 minutes of hard work, but Nico Echeverry is back on track to contend for the Fury Fighting Championship belt he once owned.

In the main event of Fury FC 47 on Sunday, former Fury lightweight champ Echeverry took a clear unanimous decision over Kenn Glenn, showcasing his superiority in all phases and gaining momentum as the fight went on. For most of the first round, Echeverry elected to keep the fight standing, flashing a crisp jab and keeping the shorter Glenn at bay with well-timed kicks to the legs and body. Round 2 saw the former champ turn to his ground game, taking Glenn down repeatedly and advancing to dominant positions. In the final round, perhaps sensing his opponent was tiring, Echeverry turned up the aggression, grounding Glenn once again, taking his back and working briefly for a choke. Glenn was game throughout, and never in serious danger of being finished even in Round 3, but the lopsided final frame put the stamp on an increasingly…