Martial Arts News

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An amateur mixed martial arts event got out of control in Florida this past Saturday.

TMZ Sports obtained video of the scene, which included mutliple fights outside the cage at “RIZE Fighting Championship: Battle of Warriors” at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth, Fla. As the melee continued, footage showed a man reaching into a woman's purse, pulling out a handgun and firing it into the air at least once. Based on the video, there appear to be fans in the balcony area just above where the man fires the gun.

“Who knows what his thoughts were, if it was to diffuse the situation, but you can’t do that in the United States, especially at an event packed with fans, with people, you can’t shoot guns in the air,” Rize promoter Armando Gonzalez told NBC Miami.

According to the NBC Miami report, the fighting outside the cage initially began because people didn’t like the officiating in one particular bout. Read more

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Tsuyoshi Sudario turned heads with quick knockout of Kazushi Miyamoto in their heavyweight bout at Rizin 27, but it’s what happened after the stoppage that has come back to haunt the sumo wrestler.

The Japanese promotion released a statement Tuesday announcing that Sudario has been fined for continuing to throw punches at his opponent after referee Ryogaku Wada attempted to restrain him. Tensions flared after the incident as both corners entered the ring. As a result, Sudario has been fined 25 percent of his purse.

“The incident occurred after Sudario finished Miyamoto with a promotional record-breaking knockout,” the statement read. “Referee Ryogaku Wada waved off the fight in [eight] seconds after Sudario landed a clean right hand to Miyamoto’s jaw. Sudario refused to stop attacking after the official stoppage. Sudario’s corner, Enson Inoue entered the ring and helped restrain Sudario, whereupon Miyamo…

Coming off an impressive sequence of eight straight wins, Charles Oliveira was recently confirmed to face ex-Bellator champion Michael Chandler for the vacant lightweight crown at UFC 262 on May 15.

Shortly thereafter, Oliveira revealed to Sherdog.com the curious manner in which he received the most important news of his fighting career. After Khabib Nurmagomedov confirmed his retirement and rumors of a lightweight title bout between Justin Gaethje and Chandler became prevalent, Oliveira decided to spend some time relaxing on his ranch.

"When some fan asked me what I thought about that fight, I answered it would be a great fight between two killers. I wanted to fight for the belt, so once I didn’t have that fight confirmed I decided to go on Thursday night to my ranch, where the telephone just doesn't work. But my father had to go to the city to buy some stuff and saw many calls from my trainer, Diego Lima, and told me about that.

“At that moment I knew Diego w…

After a dominant victory against Drew Dober at UFC 259, Islam Makhachev is one of the fastest-rising contenders in the lightweight division.

Makhachev, who has won seven consecutive fights within the Las Vegas-based promotion, has been tabbed by former 155-pound king Khabib Nurmagomedov as a future champion. The 29-year-old Dagestani called for a showdown with Tony Ferguson after UFC 259, but with “El Cucuy” now booked against Beneil Dariush, has turned his attention to other potential opponents.

One of those is Rafael dos Anjos, who Makhachev was supposed to face at UFC 254 in October and at UFC Fight Night 182 in November before the bout fell through. Dos Anjos recently said he would only face Makhachev if a victory granted him a rematch with Nurmagomedov, whose retirement was only officially recognized by the UFC this past week.

“I don’t know why his opinion changed so quickly,” Makhachev said in a video interview (translation via RT Sport). “He won a fight a…

Kenny Florian will be on the Professional Fighters League broadcast team for the promotion’s 2021 season.

The organization announced the news via release on Tuesday. After a 17-bout career in the UFC, Florian served as an analyst and color commentator for the Las Vegas-based promotion for several years. Florian will work alongside UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and play-by-play commentator Sean O’Connell on the PFL broadcast team.

“I’m very excited to be a part of the PFL family and this season looks to be the best one yet,” said Florian. “Breaking down MMA fights and high level martial arts techniques is what I enjoy most, and I’m elated to be a part of the tremendous commentary team to get a chance to do just that.”

Florian rose to prominence on Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” where he lost to Diego Sanchez at the reality show’s finale. The Massachusetts native went on to challenge for titles at both lightweight and featherweight but never captured UFC go…

A potential flyweight title eliminator bout is set for Bellator 256, as Liz Carmouche will lock horns with Vanessa Porto at Bellator 256.

Fansided was first to report the pairing. Bellator 256 takes place on April 9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a light heavyweight grand prix clash between Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida. The card will air on Showtime.

Carmouche has challenged for titles at flyweight and bantamweight in the UFC, falling to Valentina Shevchenko and Ronda Rousey, respectively. “Girl-Rilla” was successful in her debut with the California-based promotion, as she tapped out DeAnna Bennett in the third round at Bellator 246.

A former Invicta title holder, Porto will be fighting for the first time since November 2019. The 37-year-old Sao Paulo native enters the matchup with Carmouche on a four-bout winning streak. She owns a 22-8 professional mark that includes wins over the likes of Pearl Gonzalez, Roxanne Modafferi, Ta…

Montserrat Ruiz and Cheyanne Buys could be out for up to six months following their main card matchup at UFC on ESPN 21.

Ruiz, who earned a unanimous decision over Buys in their strawweight clash, must have an MRI on her left knee and right shoulder and if she isn’t cleared, will be sidelined until Sept. 17. At a minimum, she is suspended until April 20 with no contact until April 11. Buys needs a right elbow X-ray and doctor clearance or she will be suspended until Sept. 17. She also has a minimum suspension until April 20 with no contact until April 11.

A full list of medical suspensions from Saturday’s event were released to mixedmartialarts.com. UFC on ESPN 21 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw Derek Brunson take a unanimous verdict against Kevin Holland in the evening’s middleweight main event. Brunson is suspended until April 20 with no contact until April 11 due to a laceration on his right eyebrow, while Holland is suspended until April 11 with …

Cat Zingano will square off against Olivia Parker at Bellator 256 on April 9.

Sherdog.com confirmed the featherweight booking with a promotion official following an initial report from ESPN. Bellator 256 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a light heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal matchup between Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida. The card will air on Showtime.

A former UFC bantamweight title challenger, Zingano was successful in her first promotional foray, as she outpointed Gabrielle Holloway at Bellator 245 this past September. The 38-year-old Broomfield, Colo., native is 11-4 as a pro and owns notable wins over the likes of Amanda Nunes, Miesha Tate, Marion Reneau and Raquel Pennington.

Parker, meanwhile, earned finishes in her first four professional outings under the Valor Fighting Championship banner. The 39-year-old Knoxville Martial Arts Academy representative came up short in her most recent bout at Invicta FC 40, …

Decorated jiu-jitsu champion Gordon Ryan has signed with One Championship with plans to compete in both mixed martial arts and grappling.

One CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the news Monday on Twitter. A date for Ryan’s debut with the Singapore-based promotion was not revealed, but he will likely compete as a heavyweight.

BREAKING NEWS: Gordon Ryan has signed with ONE Championship for both mixed martial arts and submission grappling!

— Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) March 22, 2021

Regarded by some as the best pound-for-pound grappler in the world, Ryan is a three-time ADCC champion, IBJJF no-gi champion and a four-time Eddie Bravo Invitational champion. In grappling competition, Ryan has bested the likes of Josh Barnett, Gabriel Gonzaga, Rousimar Palhares, Dillon Danis and Marcus Almeida.

Ryan is a black belt under Garry Tonon, who has compiled a 6-0 record under the One banner.

A last-minute cancellation led to an emotional pre-fight moment for Max Griffin on Saturday.

When a scheduled lightweight clash between Gregor Gillespie and Brad Riddell fell through due to COVID-19 protocols, Griffin’s matchup against Kenan Song was elevated to the UFC on ESPN 21 co-main event. It was something Griffin had envisioned with his team heading into 2021.

“When I got the call that I was going to be the co-main event, I started crying,” Griffin said. “This New Year’s, I had a conversation with my team and we said I’m going to get a co-main event and then take it over. God made it happen. To be on ESPN, then be bumped to co-main and knock him out bad like that? It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Griffin laid waste to Song, sending his foe face down to the canvas with a flurry of power punches 2:20 into the opening stanza of their welterweight bout. The 35-year-old former Tachi Palace Fights and West Coast Fighting Championship title holder has won …

Luke Rockhold has been talking about making a return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in recent months, and he could have one of his American Kickboxing Academy teammates in his corner if that becomes a reality.

In an interview with TMZ Sports, Rockhold revealed that retired former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has talked about coaching him for his next bout. After several attempts at getting Nurmagomedov to come back to the Octagon, the UFC finally acknowledged his retirement and officially vacated the lightweight belt last week.

“He’s assuming this coaching role now. He’s going off on me, wanting to coach me. He wants to be a big part of my comeback so it’s pretty funny to see Khabib assume this role,” Rockhold said. “He’s going for ‘Coach of the Year.’ That’s what he wants. He wants to be the next great thing, follow in his dad’s footsteps. That’s what his dad always did. His dad was always insightful and always had a good eye for the sport and…

The Bellator 256 preliminary lineup has received a pair of bouts, as Cody Law will meet Nathan Ghareeb at featherweight, while Talita Nogueira will face Jessica Borga in a women’s 145-pound clash.

Sherdog.com confirmed the fights following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Bellator 256 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on April 9 and features a pair of light heavyweight grand prix bouts at the top of the bill: Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida and Corey Anderson vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov.

A former Division II national champion in wrestling, Law has kicked off his Bellator tenure with finishes of Orlando Ortega and Kenny Champion in his first two appearances. Ghareeb is also 2-0 and is coming off a 54-second stoppage of Zach Johnson at CES MMA 59.

A former featherweight title challenger, Nogueira has not fought since October 2019, when she dropped a split verdict to Jessy Miele at Bellator 231. Borga enters the matchup on a modest…