Martial Arts News

Once considered to be among the Top 5 middleweights in the world between 2005 and 2008, former World Extreme Cage Fighting champion Paulo Filho analyzed the top of the UFC heavyweight and lightweight divisions in a recent interview with Sherdog.com.

"I dont see any need for Jon Jones to gain weight to enter in the heavyweight division. His technical level is so superior to [Francis] Ngannou and [Stipe] Miocic that I truly believe he can beat both, even weighing 205 pounds. Ngannou is a one-punch fighter and Miocic has less tools than Jones. I see clearly Jon Jones as future heavyweight champion at the end of 2021.”

As far as the lightweight division goes, the Carlson Gracie black belt believes that former Bellator champion Michael Chandler will eventually capture UFC gold.

"I was really impressed with this kid. He is such a solid fighter — wrestling, cardio, explosion and knockout power in one single package. Considering the Top 5 of that division, I see Charles…

Recent flyweight title challenger Alex Perez will return to action against Matt Schnell at UFC 262 on May 15.

MMA DNA was first to report the pairing. UFC 262 does not have an official location or headliner, but it is expected to include a women’s 125-pound matchup pitting Katlyn Chookagian against Viviane Araujo.

Perez had a three-fight winning streak halted at UFC 255, where he was submitted in the opening stanza by reigning flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo on Nov. 21. Prior to that, the Team Oyama representative had scored successive triumphs over Jussier Formiga, Jordan Espinosa and Mark De La Rosa. The former Contender Series competitor is 6-2 during his promotional tenure and 24-6 as a professional overall.

Schnell, meanwhile, returned for the first time in more than a year at UFC on ESPN 20, as he rebounded from a knockout loss against Alexandre Pantoja in December 2019 to earn a split verdict against Tyson Nam in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 20. The 31-year-old …

The UFC Fight Night 185 co-main event came down to a battle of damage vs. positional control.

Ultimately, it was Yana Kunitskaya’s activity that won the day, as she captured a unanimous decision triumph against Ketlen Vieira in a matchup of ranked women’s bantamweights at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The former Invicta FC champion was buoyed by a strong finish down the stretch in the final stanza, when she reversed from being mounted and bloodied her Brazilian foe with elbows before the horn.

Although Vieira controlled much of the contest through takedowns and grappling, her inability to land offense from above ultimately cost her. While all three judges submitted 29-28 tallies for Kunitskaya, media scorecards told a different story, with 14 of the 18 tracked by MMADecisions.com favoring Vieira. Kunitskaya admitted feeling some tension before the final verdict was announced.

“I feel I won the fight. I did more damage, but sometimes judges make v…

After a perfectly-timed uppercut sent Curtis Blaydes tumbling to the canvas like a sack of potatoes, Derrick Lewis punctuated his UFC Fight Night 185 victory with a little something extra.

With Blaydes already unconscious, “The Black Beast” dove in to land two brutal shots of ground-and-pound in a follow-up reminiscient of what Dan Henderson did to Michael Bisping at UFC 100 in July 2009. It was also a reminder of just how brutal this sport can be.

When asked about the final two punches, Lewis defended his actions in typical humorous fashion with a WWE reference, while also pointing out that it’s the referee’s job to say when the fight is over.

“I can’t just turn the switch off just like that,” Lewis said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Some fighters can do that, but I can’t do it. I have to wait until the referee pulled me off because you never know what could happen. Anything could happen. He could’ve turned into the Undertaker and stood straight …

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Chris Daukaus earned the most significant victory of his career to date at UFC Fight Night 185, as he scored a first-round technical knockout of Alexey Oleynik in a featured heavyweight encounter at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

With three first-round finishes to kick off his promotional tenure, the 31-year-old Philadelphia native is now a person of interest in the division.

“This is what careers are made of right now. The light is on the heavyweight division right now, especially with the amount of heavyweight headliners,” Daukaus said. “It’s definitely something I’m not taking for granted. I’m definitely capitalizing on it.

  “I’ve finally got a number next to my name. It’s something I’ve been striving for. It was definitely something I could grab and I did that.”

By putting Oleynik away 1:55 into the opening stanza, Daukaus was able to avoid going to the ground with the Russian submission speciali…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Tom Aspinall’s latest Ultimate Fighting Championship victory came by different means than he anticipated it would.

After nearly finishing Andrei Arlovski with punches in the opening stanza, the Englishman landed a takedown early in Round 2, locking in a rear-naked choke for a submission victory at the 1:09 mark of the period.

“I didn’t expect to finish him with a submission. That’s the last thing I expected,” Aspinall said. “I thought it was going to be a quick knockout or I’m going to beat him on points. Very happy with it, but not very happy with the performance. I’ve got a lot to work on, but I’ve got a long time to work on it. It’s all good.”

Aspinall’s previous five triumphs — including two in UFC competition — had come via KO or TKO, but the Team Kaobon product points out that he has solid submission skills even if he doesn’t usually show them.

“I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu for a long time. My dad’s one of the first …

Derrick Lewis’ massive knockout of Curtis Blaydes halted the championship aspirations of his opponent, and it made “The Black Beast” $50,000 richer in the process.

Lewis received a “Performance of the Night” bonus thanks to a finish of Blaydes 1:26 into the second round of their heavyweight headliner at UFC Fight Night 185 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. After getting outstruck for a round, Lewis timed a Blaydes’ takedown attempt and blasted his foe with an uppercut. The Houston native sealed his win with a pair of brutal ground strikes.

Elsewhere, Chris Daukaus garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for making short work of Alexey Oleynik in a featured heavyweight matchup. Daukaus forced the submission specialist to remain standing and rocked the Russian with a right hand, then swarmed with punches and knees against the fence to secure a stoppage 1:55 into Round 1.

Tom Aspinall was the third heavyweight on the main card to take home a $50,000 “…

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. It may sound cliché, but Derrick Lewis really does only need one. “The Black Beast” took a massive step forward in a bid for another Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title shot, as he knocked out Curtis Blaydes in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 185 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Lewis (25-7, 16-5 UFC) brought it to an emphatic and frightening close 1:26 into Round 2.

Blaydes (14-3, 9-3 UFC) enjoyed some early success with a penetrating jab and thudding leg kicks but struggled to safely close the distance. He ducked into an uppercut in the second round, froze where he stood and collapsed backward. Lewis trailed his defenseless opponent to the canvas and slammed two right hands into his exposed face before referee Herb Dean could intervene.

Lewis, 36, now finds himself on a four-figh…

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 Fight Night 185 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 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:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Lev Pisarsky scores the round:Tyler Treese sco…

A barrage of strikes@SexiMexi135 gets it done with only 15 seconds to go in RD 1! #UFCVegas19 pic.twitter.com/1lNeEc3l7P

— UFC (@ufc) February 21, 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.

John Castaneda made his footprint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division.

The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy rep took care of former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Eddie Wineland with punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 185 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Castaneda (18-5, 1-1 UFC) sealed the deal 4:44 into Round 1.

Wineland (24-15-1, 6-9 UFC) countered effectively with right hands, answered a head kick with a takedown and pressured his adversary onto his back foot. Castaneda turned the tide with a right cross and followed with an accurate multi-punch volley that drove the D…

Angela Hill and Ashley Yoder will square off for a second time at UFC Fight Night 186 next Saturday.

The strawweight pairing was announced during the UFC Fight Night 185 broadcast. UFC Fight Night 186 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane. The card streams in its entirety on ESPN+.

Hill and Yoder initially squared off at “The Ultimate Fighter 25” finale in July 2017, with Hill winning a unanimous decision. “Overkill” enters the rematch on a tough-luck streak after dropping back-to-back split decisions against Claudia Gadelha and Michelle Waterson. Prior to that, Hill had won four of her previous five Octagon appearances.

Yoder, meanwhile, snapped a two-bout skid in her last outing, as she outpointed Miranda Granger at UFC Fight Night 182 this past November. The Team Quest product is 3-5 in the Las Vegas-based promotion and 8-6 as a professional overall.

POWER OFF THE CHARTS

@OttmanAzaitar needs just 94 seconds to call it a night!

[ Card concludes next on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/UCMWqi0FeG — UFC (@ufc) September 13, 2020

In yet another strange turn of events, lightweight Ottman Azaitar has been granted a second chance by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

UFC president Dana White revealed to ESPN on Saturday that Azaitar will remain on the roster after previously announcing the fighter would be released due to breaking COVID-19 protocols in Abu Dhabi ahead of a UFC 257 matchup with Matt Frevola.

“So [Azaitar] and his team cut off their wristbands, gave them to somebody outside the bubble – I don’t know how they even did it – that guy taped them, showed up here with a bag, went into a room, shimmied across four balconies, went into his room, dropped the bag off, changed his clothes, and then left. Now, when security tried to stop him, he wouldn’t stop. Either way, it’s j…