Martial Arts News

Rafael dos Anjos did not get to celebrate his birthday in the way that he imagined.

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The former lightweight champion suffered an apparent knee injury early in his 170-pound clash against Geoff Neal at UFC 308, which led to a technical knockout loss 90 seconds into Round 1.

“I think it was on my second kick thrown, me and Neal kicked at the same time and I felt a big snap, a big pop behind my knee,” dos Anjos said in a video on his Instagram stories. “Throughout my whole UFC career, it’s my second time being hospitalized after the fight and it makes me realize how blessed I am. It’s a very tough sport, and going to the hospital only twice in your whole career is a good number.”

Dos Anjos has lost three straight Octagon appearances and four of his last five bouts overall dating back to July 2022. Despite those struggles, the Brazilian veteran plans to continue with his MMA career once he recovers from his latest injury. Dos Anjos did not offer s…

Sharabutdin Magomedov has patented his UFC 308 finishing move.

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One of the most entertaining fighters on the middleweight roster, “Shara Bullet” lived up to expectations in his UFC 308 main card clash against Armen Petrosyan on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Magomedov kept Petrosyan at bay with his kick-heavy game from the opening bell before landing an electrifying double spinning backfist KO in the closing seconds of the opening frame.

While spinning backfist knockouts are a rarity in general, “Shara Bullet’s” double backfist was a first in UFC history. Magomedov subsequently revealed that it was the first move taught to him by elder brother Marat Magomedov when he started training muay thai. While Magomedov has tried landing it several times throughout his career, he never succeeded until UFC 308.

“When I just started muay thai, this was the first thing that I was shown by my older brother Marat [Magomedov]. I trained it, I tra…

Max Holloway is considering a move up to lightweight for good after his loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308.

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Holloway suffered the first knockout loss of his career in a failed featherweight title bid against Topuria in the main event at UFC 308 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. “Blessed” appeared to be getting ahead on the scorecards when Topuria caught him against the cage in signature fashion to land the devastating knockout blow in the third stanza.

This was Holloway’s third failed bid to reclaim the strap after losing it to Alexander Volkanovski in 2019. Outside of Volkanovski and Topuria, Holloway has wiped out almost the entire old guard of the featherweight division. With an 0-3 head-to-head record against Volkanovski and the failed bid against Topuria, Holloway feels there is little left for him to do at 145 pounds.

Meanwhile, Holloway earned his latest shot with an iconic BMF title win against Justin Gaethje in a lightweight…

Khamzat Chimaev only wants to fight for the middleweight title next, regardless of the opponent.

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Chimaev cleared every shadow of doubt about his elite skillset with a dominant first-round submission win over former champ Robert Whittaker in the co-main event at UFC 308 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The undefeated Chechen-born Swede made a legitimate case for a title shot with his bonus-winning performance in a matchup that was billed as a potential title eliminator. However, standing in his way is Sean Strickland, who has been insistent on fighting for the title next.

After losing his strap to Dricus Du Plessis via a controversial split decision at UFC 297 this past January, Strickland bounced back with a split-decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June. While Dana White had previously promised Strickland the next shot, he said he’ll need some time to think after Chimaev’s win over “Bobby Knuckles.” Strickland meanwhile, l…

Ilia Topuria responds to Alexander Volkanovski requesting a quick turnaround from him for their rematch:

“Right now he’s gonna have to wait for my time. Right now I’m the one who chooses the time and place.

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I choose everything.”

🎥 @ufcontnt #UFC308pic.twitter.com/7gCt5WIG1b

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 27, 2024 Ilia Topuria wants a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski next, but the reigning featherweight champion plans on dictating the terms of their engagment.

Topuria dethroned Volkanovski via knockout at UFC 298 this past February. The undefeated champ then put his strap on the line for the first time against Max Holloway at UFC 308 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Backing his words up with action, Topuria scored a third-round knockout win over Holloway, who had never been stopped by strikes before in his entire career.

Volkanovski, who was in attendance for the event, subsequently …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship looks to have yet another full-fledged European superstar on its hands at 145 pounds.

Ilia Topuria brought down Max Holloway with punches in the third round of their UFC 308 headliner, as he retained his undisputed featherweight championship on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Stopped by strikes for the first time in his 34-fight career, Holloway (26-8, 22-8 UFC) met his end 1:34 into Round 3.

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Topuria (16-0, 8-0 UFC) broke down the Hawaiian with leg kicks and right hands over the top. Holloway answered with his patented jab, doing all he could to keep the champion at bay with his superior length. It worked for a time. Topuria cracked him with a right hook in the third round and flurried with body-head combinations. A sweeping left hook sent Holloway crashing to the canvas in a semi-conscious heap before the Spaniard closed it out with short punches and hammerfists.

Meanwhile, Allstars …

Sherdog's live UFC 308 coverage will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2 PM ET on ESPN+. Order Now!

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BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Fakhretdinov (-278), Leal Miranda (+225)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Basharat (-625), Hugo (+455)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield …

Geoff Neal probably left the cage with a bittersweet taste in his mouth.

The Fortis MMA mainstay kept his place in the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight line, as he was awarded a technical knockout over Rafael dos Anjos after the grizzled Brazilian veteran suffered a knee injury in the first round of their featured UFC 308 prelim on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Referee Mark Smith waved it off 1:30 into Round 1, with dos Anos (32-18, 21-15) clutching at his left leg on his 40th birthday.

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Neal (16-6, 8-4 UFC) was the aggressor from the start. He dropped the Nova Uniao star with a crisp one-two and even delivered a surprise takedown, though he chose to disengage and stand on both occasions. Soon after, another left hand clanged off the side of dos Anjos’ head, his knee buckling beneath him in an anticlimactic fight-ending sequence. Meanwhile, former Vendetta Fight Nights champion Ibo Aslan dispatched previous…

Mateusz Rebecki and Myktybek Orolbai were rewarded for painting the canvas red at UFC 308.

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Rebecki and Orolbai engaged in a bloody battle in their 160-pound catchweight affair, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, earning “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece. Rebecki landed heavy shots early, causing serious swelling under his opponent’s eye in the opening stanza. Orolbai kept coming, however, even after being dropped and nearly finished in the final stanza. Ultimately, Rebecki emerged with a hard-fought split decision triumph.

Elsewhere, Ilia Topuria padded his bank account with a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus thanks to his third-round knockout of Max Holloway in the featherweight main event. By putting the durable Hawaiian away at the 1:34 mark of Round 3, “El Matador” became the first person to stop Holloway with strikes in his 34-fight professional tenure.

Meanwhile, Khamzat Chimaev garnered a $50,000 “Performanc…

Francis Ngannou went OFF on Dana White after his recent comments about his fight against Renan Ferreira 😳

"Dana has lost in this situation... and he cannot stand it. Bro I won everything...

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I think the problem is he can't handle this loss. I'm sure he's been praying for my… pic.twitter.com/ec1avI8jhE — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 26, 2024

Francis Ngannou recently went off on Dana White in response to the Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO’s recent comments.

Ngannou exited the UFC in January 2023 over failed contract negotiations. “The Predator” had certain demands, including the freedom to compete in boxing simultaneously, health insurance for fighters and other stipulations to which the UFC didn’t agree.

Ngannou joined the Professional Fighters League soon after and was also made the chairman of PFL Africa. Ngannou made his promotional debut against 2023 heavyweight champ Renan Ferreira at PFL “Batt…

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Gleison Tibau believes former foe Khabib Nurmagomedov is the greatest MMA fighter of all time.

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Nurmagomedov faced Tibau in his sophomore Ultimate Fighting Championship outing back in 2012 while the Brazilian was arguably in his prime. A 24-year-old “Eagle” faced one of the toughest tests of his life against Tibau, failing to land a single takedown in 13 attempts. Meanwhile, Tibau landed a takedown on Nurmagomedov and also slightly outstruck him on the feet. However, the undefeated Dagestani prospect went on to earn a controversial unanimous decision win, which many believe should have gone the other way.

Tibau recorded wins over the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Francisco Trinaldo and Jeremy Stephens over the course of a UFC career that spanned more than a decade. He alternated between wins and losses after his setback against Nurmagomedov and parted ways with the promotion in 2018 on the back of a four-fight slump — which included …

Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0) claims his expected UFC Tampa clash against Yadong Song (21-8) is off.

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Nurmagomedov was reportedly close to finalizing a headlining clash against Song at UFC Tampa in December. However, the Dagestani recently said that the booking has fallen through as Song is injured.

Nurmagomedov remains adamant on competing in December or at least before Ramadan, which begins in February 2025. Nurmagomedov was initially rallying for a gold bid against Merab Dvalishvili, who dethroned Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 this past September. However, Dvalishvili has consistently downplayed Nurmagomedov’s claim to a title shot and prefers a rematch against “Suga.” The bantamweight champ recently lost his cool during a Q&A session when a fan asked him if he’s scared to face Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov also responded to Dvalishvili while announcing the cancelation of his booking against Yadong.

“I am always ready, and right now I am waiting for…