Martial Arts News

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…

Ultimate acerta duelo entre Karol Rosa e Sijara Eubanks para o UFC 263, dia 12 de junho | combate | ge https://t.co/zqxrwbGads

— Raphael Marinho (@raphamarinho) March 18, 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. A Ultimate Fighting Championship match scuttled in 2020 after a bad weight cut has been put back together for the summer. On Thursday, Combate reported that Karol Rosa (14-3) and Sijara Eubanks (6-6) are slated to meet at UFC 263 on June 12. The two were previously booked against one another at UFC Fight Night 176 in September 2020, but Rosa was hospitalized due to her failed weight cut. The bantamweight matchup was later confirmed by other outlets.

Eubanks will be looking to lift her record above .500 and snap a two-fight skid where she lost to Ketlen Vieira and Pannie Kianzad in the last few months. “SarJ” competed four tim…

The final card of the 2021 iteration of Cage Warriors Fighting Championship’s “The Trilogy” is cleared for Saturday.

The CW 122 main event will see Morgan Charriere attempting his first title defense from the assault of Jordan Vucenic. Charriere (16-7-1) won the vacant featherweight belt by putting Perry Goodwin away with a liver shot in the CW 119 headliner. “The Last Pirate” had no issues in making the championship weight, hitting the scales at 144.6 pounds.

Vucenic (7-1) earned a title shot at the featherweight throne by defeating Paul Hughes by a narrow decision at the end of a featherweight barnburner also at CW 119. “The Epidemic” is currently riding a five-bout winning streak, which includes victories over Steve Aimable and Konmon Deh. Vucenic looked good on the scales Friday, as he weighed 144.6 pounds.

The co-main event will feature a 155-pound clash between Paddy Pimblett (15-3) and Davide Martinez (8-2). Both fighters hit their contracted weights, as “The B…

“The Immortal” is on the ATTACK in Round 5! #ONEFistsOfFury3 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/fwuI1eStiP

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 19, 2021 The final pre-recorded section of One Championship’s “Fists of Fury” series saw a champion keeping an iron grip on his throne.

The One: Fists of Fury 3 main event featured Regian Eersel putting his lightweight kickboxing championship on the line against Italy’s Mustapha Haida. Eersel dominated his opponent from the outset by utilizing his slight reach advantage and a multifaceted striking approach. The Surinamese-Dutch fighter showcased a variety of attacks across the first couple, including heavy punches and jumping knees. Haida struggled to contain the defending champion’s initiative, and was limited to landing a few body shots.

In Round 3, one of Eersel's jumping knees landed low, and forced a halt in the action for a few seconds. When the fight resumed, Eersel picked …

During the #ufcvegas22 weigh ins UFC fighter Julija Stoliarenko seems to have passed out before her official weight was even announced pic.twitter.com/G2omyzBvvM

— BehindTheGrind (@BehindGrind) 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 UFC on ESPN 21 weigh-ins were memorable for the wrong reasons, after Julija Stoliarenko fainted on the scale. Stoliarenko stumbled once on the scales and was attended to by medical personnel. The commission still allowed her to weigh in, and she did hit the 135.5-pound mark. Unfortunately for the Lithuanian, she collapsed again, and needed to be stretchered out of the room. As a result, Stoliarenko's bantamweight bout against Julia Avila was called off due to medical concerns.

While that fight is scratched, the Ultimate Fighting Championship's main event is good to go as both Derek Brunso…