Martial Arts News

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. Derek Brunson paid no attention to all the extracurricular activity associated with Kevin Holland. The Sanford MMA representative on Saturday executed takedowns in four of the five rounds, piled up copious amounts of control time, applied his ground-and-pound and ignored the interminable trash talk, as he took a unanimous decision from Holland in the UFC on ESPN 21 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 49-45, 49-46 and 49-46, all for Brunson (22-7, 13-5 UFC).

Holland (21-6, 8-3 UFC) was effective while he remained upright. However, Brunson withstood his bursts of violence and used his aggression against him, closing the distance to either clinch or pursue takedowns. Holland did what he could to hide his frustration, but his deficit grew with each passing round. He opened a cut near Brunson’s right eye in the fifth …

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. Sherdog's live UFC on ESPN 21 coverage will begin Saturday at 7:30 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:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores…

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.

Macy Chiasson appears to be well on her way to Top 10 status in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight division.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 28 winner on Saturday leaned on crisp standup and a robust clinch, as she laid claim to a unanimous decision over Marion Reneau in the featured UFC on ESPN 21 prelim at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Chiasson (7-1, 5-1 UFC) drew 29-28 nods from all three judges and continued to distance herself from a September 2019 loss to Lina Lansberg.

Renau (9-7-1, 5-6-1 UFC) used efficient punching combinations and evasive lateral movement in putting together a successful first round. However, Chiasson turned the tide in the second, where she bloodied the Californian’s nose with a crushing left hand and later forced her to retreat on the end of a wicked kick to the body. The…

Mariusz 'PUDZIAN' Pudzianowski! #KSW59 pic.twitter.com/gUcwrqLkbK

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) March 20, 2021

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki's main event underwent a last-minute change after Serigne Ousmane Dia suffered an acute appendicitis attack and had to be hospitalized ahead of Saturday’s card in Lodz, Poland.

The new KSW 59 headliner saw Mariusz Pudzianowski (14-7, 1 NC) taking on MMA debutant Nikola Milanovic (0-1) in the super heavyweight division. Milanovic took the fight on less than 24 hours notice, but he could do nothing to stop “Pudzian” from ending the contest in the opening frame. Milanovic attacked the legendary strongman with a couple of leg kicks as soon as the battle started, and Pudzianowski retaliated with a jab. The Serbian fighter rushed then to push his opponent against the cage, looking for a double-leg takedown.

While the takedown attempt likely would have been successful, “Pudzian” grabbed the fence to defen…

We go the distance!!#CW122 pic.twitter.com/Y9u6LvNgAy

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 20, 2021

The latest installment in the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship “Trilogy” series crowned a new champion.

The Cage Warriors 122 main event saw Jordan Vucenic (8-1) dethrone Morgan Charriere (16-8-1) thanks to a narrow decision at the end of a featherweight championship encounter at York Hall in London on Saturday. The challenger looked sharper than the defending champion from the first frame, attacking “The Last Pirate” with a variety of punches and continuously switching stances. Charriere didn’t look impressed by his opponent's striking, but it took a while before he got himself out of first gear and began to focus on close-range combat and wrestling.

“The Last Pirate” looked better in the championship rounds, where his grinding started paying dividends, coinciding with Vucenic starting to go low on his energy tank. The last two stanzas…

The featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega scheduled for #UFC260 has been postponed.

Volkanovski was forced from the fight due to COVID-19 protocols, per tonight's broadcast. pic.twitter.com/JOvtIbZTFX

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 21, 2021 UFC 260 is a championship doubleheader no more.

The promotion announced during Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 broadcast that COVID-19 protocols have resulted in the postponement of the featherweight championship clash between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. The matchup is expected to be rescheduled for a future UFC card.

Volkanovski released a statement on Twitter shortly after the postponement announcement:

pic.twitter.com/TFFvTXe08U

— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) March 21, 2021

UFC 260 takes place on March 27 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight championship rematch between Stipe Miocic and Fr…

Gregor Gillespie’s Octagon return will have to wait until another day.

The UFC on ESPN 21 co-main event pitting Gillespie against Brad Riddell has been pulled from the card due to “COVID-19 protocols,” the promotion announced Saturday. The lightweight bout will be rescheduled at a later date. As a result, UFC on ESPN 21 will proceed with 10 fights.

UFC on ESPN 21 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight clash between Kevin Holland and Derek Brunson. The prelims stream on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, while the main card begins on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

An NCAA national champion wrestler and four-time All American at Edinboro University, Gillespie kicked off his MMA tenure with 13 consecutive triumphs – including six wins in UFC competition. He suffered his first defeat in November 2019, falling to Kevin Lee via head-kick KO at UFC 244. Gillespie has not fought since then.

Anchore…

RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki (@kk331ayaka) is on championship weight for #RIZIN27!

She defends her belt against Kanna Asakura (@a_kanna_) this Sunday!

Purchase the @livenowglobal PPV here https://t.co/Mi4AiMpNGQ#RIZIN #MMA #RIZIN27 #kickboxing #格闘技 pic.twitter.com/pRa9kbfUeq — RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) March 20, 2021

The Rizin Fighting Federation 27 headliner is now official, as both Ayaka Hamasaki and Kanna Asakura made weight ahead of their atomweight championship clash.

Hamasaki, the reigning champion, tipped the scales at 107.5 pounds, while Asakura checked in at 107.2. Rizin 27 takes place at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan on Sunday and features 10 MMA bouts.

Hamasaki and Asakura initially squared off for the vacant atomweight belt at Rizin 14, with Hamasaki winning via armbar in the second round. Hamasaki has won four of her five bouts under the Rizin banner since then, falling only t…

#LFA102 pic.twitter.com/kUS5RPQP08

— ShayMyName2 (@imstillshannon) March 20, 2021 Legacy Fighting Alliance's second card of March saw Bruno Souza make a statement at the expense of Elijah Johns.

LFA 102's featherweight main event delivered as Johns (7-2) and Souza (9-1), who came in 1.2 pounds heavy, went tit for tat over three rounds. Both fighters displayed a well-rounded game as they went back-and-forth in exciting striking and grappling exchanges with Souza stuffing Johns' takedowns late. Overall, the judges favored Souza's aggressive offense and awarded him a split decision victory with scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28. After the win, "The Tiger" expressed a desire to fight for the LFA 145-pound belt next.

The co-main event saw Al Matavao face Gregory Rodrigues, who missed weight by 1.4 pounds, in the promotion's middleweight tournament semi-final. Matavao (8-4) came out looking for a knockout, but his reckless swinging allowed Rodr…

Precision and placementThe Future is looking bright with a 2nd round KO over a UFC vet

Watch #CW121 live on @UFCFightPass pic.twitter.com/FXSbyfzKOY

— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 19, 2021 Disqualifications come in waves, and Cage Warriors Fighting Championship is the latest organization to see one in a title fight. In the CW 121 main event, Agy Sardari (14-2) notched his first title defense at the expense of Donovan Desmae (14-7) in a razor-close lightweight affair. Sardari and Desmae put on a striking battle for all five rounds, with each showcasing impressive boxing and kickboxing as they went back and forth. For most of the bout, Desmae held the center of the cage and advanced with kicks and punches. The champ waited for the right moment to strike, and he did often, scoring with punches and low kicks to irritate “Vegas.” The first 15 minutes saw very few grappling exchanges, and they separated sooner than later whenever they tie…

One of the co-featured bouts for #UFC262 will be a middleweight match between No. 6 Jack Hermansson (21-6) vs. No. 12 Edmen Shahbazyan (11-1), I'm told by a source with direct knowledge of the deal.

Shahbazyan will have a second chance to prove his ceiling in the step-up fight. https://t.co/HIpK0i6kX6

— Manouk Akopyan (@ManoukAkopyan) March 19, 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. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is building quite an impressive card for its return to Texas this May.

The Los Angeles Times first reported early Friday that a middleweight matchup pitting Jack Hermansson (21-6) against Edmen Shahbazyan (11-1) was in the works for UFC 262. The event, which will now take place in Houston, goes down on May 12. The high-stakes 185-pound tilt has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Hermansson dropped a d…

BREAKING: The Octagon heads to Houston!

@CharlesDoBronxs vs @MikeChandlerMMA for the undisputed 155 title.

[ #UFC262 On-Sale April 2nd | Pre-Sale Info: https://t.co/jd8J83sxfV ] pic.twitter.com/HiYP64BvqD — UFC (@ufc) March 19, 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. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is not one-and-done for upcoming pay-per-view cards in packed arenas.

Late Thursday night, the UFC accepted lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement and reclaimed his vacated belt. Moments later, the organization announced it would be staging a lightweight championship bout between Charles Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC) and Michael Chandler (22-5) on top of UFC 262. The event is set to take place on May 15, and its location has now been announced on Friday. Per the promotion, UFC 262 will take place in the Toyota Center in Hou…