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. A longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship vet is returning to the weight class where he started his career. For the first time since 2012, Jeremy Stephens (28-18, 1 NC) will be competing at lightweight, first reported by MMA Junkie on Thursday. “Lil Heathen” will meet Drakkar Klose (11-2-1) at his old weight category at a UFC Fight Night card on April 17 that will be held in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Stephens initially dropped to 145 pounds against Estevan Payan at UFC 160 in 2013, and although he engaged in a few catchweight contests along the way, this will be his first official lightweight bout since then. Both men hinted at this upcoming fight news on their respective Instagram accounts, while Klose stated when he would be fighting.

Stephens struggled a few times to make weight as a 145er, coming in 3.5 pounds heavy ag…

It’s go time!!! Happy to announce a date and opponent excited to put on a beautiful display of violence #ufc https://t.co/kfSyH4PZOl

— Sasha Palatnikov (@PalatnikovMMA) February 25, 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 recipient of an all-time great Ultimate Fighting Championship knockout has decided to change weight classes following that spectacular defeat. Per MMA Junkie on Thursday, the upcoming UFC Fight Night event on April 10 has gained a welterweight scrap between Impa Kasanganay (8-1) and Sasha Palatnikov (6-2). The two men will face off at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and this will be Kasanganay’s welterweight debut after a career spent at 185 pounds. Palatnikov confirmed the booking on his Twitter page on Thursday night.

Kasanganay will be looking to right the ship after suffering Sherdog’s 2020 “Knockout of the Ye…

Excited for this one.

Undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov will make his @BellatorMMA debut in a lightweight fight against Mike Hamel during the main card of #Bellator255.

The event will air live on @SHOsports on April 2 - pic.twitter.com/Tdl6csfmq5 — Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) February 25, 2021 Editor's note: The article has been updated at 10 p.m. to reflect a confirmation from the promotion.

Bellator MMA is building up its 2021 return in a solid way, with multiple names from famous fighting families on its first show back.

A trio of Bellator 255 fight announcements broke on Thursday, with multiple main card-caliber fights booked for its first show of the year. Bellator President Scott Coker broke the first, with Usman Nurmagomedov (11-0) vs. Mike Hamel (7-4) at featherweight set for the event. Bellator 255 will go down on April 2 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Nurmagomedov, cousin of Ultimate Fighting Championship…

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. Two Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweights keen on working their way up the division will meet in May. MMA Junkie first reported the news on Thursday that Andrea Lee (11-5) would be taking on Antonina Shevchenko (9-2) at UFC 262. The two flyweights will collide on May 15 at a currently undetermined venue that is expected to be the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Lee confirmed the matchup was pending on her Instagram.

“KGB” Lee is looking to snap a three-fight decision skid since September 2019, where she dropped split verdicts to Joanne Calderwood and Lauren Murphy before losing unanimously to Roxanne Modafferi in September 2020. Before this unsuccessful stretch, Lee had never lost consecutive bouts. With appearances at Legacy Fighting Alliance and Invicta Fighting Championships leading to her rise up the division, Lee went on to …

We've signed welterweights Gleison Tibau, Alexei Kunchenko and Jason Ponet; featherweights Chris Wade and Anthony Dizy, women’s lightweights Kaitlin Young and Taylor Guardado; and light heavyweight Nick Roehrick to complete the 2021 PFL Roster!

— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) February 25, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Professional Fighters League has finalized its divisions for its upcoming 2021 season. In a press release sent out by the tournament-based league on Thursday, the PFL has set its 60-fighter lineup for its latest season. Much of its roster had already been disclosed in sections for its weight classes of featherweight and lightweight, welterweight and light heavyweight, and finally, heavyweight and women’s lightweight. Like the past season, each category will initially hold just 10 fighters, and the ranks are no…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OsTq58aI2A&w=560&h=315] Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Current boxing champ and upcoming Professional Fighters League competitor Claressa Shields weighed in on several MMA topics including Conor McGregor. In a recent interview with the Betway Insider blog, Shields (10-0 Box, 2 KOs) spoke about a litany of issues including training for her MMA debut, transitioning back and forth between boxing and MMA, working with Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White should Zuffa Boxing come to fruition and more. Among other areas of discussion, Shields weighed in on Conor McGregor, his thoughts on her as well as his potential rematch with Dustin Poirier.

Before she steps into the PFL cage in June, Shields will look to defend her WBC and WBO titles while hunting for more against Canada’s Marie-Eve Dicaire (17-0, 0 KOs) i…

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. Editor's Note: The article has been updated at 12:45 p.m. on Feb. 25 to reflect additional information. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has lost a thriller of a matchup days before it was set to go down.

First reported by MMA Junkie on Thursday, William Knight (9-1) vs. Alonzo Menifield (9-2) at light heavyweight has been scratched from the UFC Fight Night 186 lineup. The Feb. 27 event saw the bout fall through when Menifield tested positive for COVID-19, and the news has since been confirmed by other outlets. The promotion intends on rebooking the match at an upcoming event, and not scuttling the pairing altogether. Per MMA Fighting shortly after the news broke, the two will instead be squaring off at UFC 260 on March 27.

A potential slugfest will have to wait, as Knight was looking to extend his overall win streak t…

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 highly anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship rematch is on the books for June. First reported by the promotion’s broadcast partner ESPN on Thursday, Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1-1) and Brandon Moreno (18-5-2) are going to run it back for the flyweight strap on June 12. The event, which should be titled UFC 263, does not currently have a location listed at the time. It is expected that should it not take place in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, it will be located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The two flyweights went toe-to-toe for five hard rounds in December, and an errant groin strike from Figueiredo resulted in an immediate point deduction that ultimately resulted in the fight getting scored a majority draw. Both men had their moments, and “The Assassin Baby” came at Figueiredo like few have before, putting …

A women’s flyweight clash between Gillian Robertson and Miranda Maverick has been rebooked for UFC 260.

The fight was originally scheduled for UFC 258, but a non-COVID related illness” forced Robertson to withdraw on the day of the event. Both fighters confirmed the new booking on social media following an initial report by Fighter Path.

Robertson went 2-1 during three Octagon appearances in 2020. After defeating Cortney Casey by submission at UFC on ESPN 11 and outpointing Poliana Botelho at UFC Fight Night 180, “The Savage” dropped a unanimous verdict to Taila Santos in her last outing at UFC Fight Night 183 on Dec. 19. Robertson is 6-3 during her promotional tenure and 9-5 as a professional overall.

Maverick is currently on a four-bout winning streak, including a TKO of Liana Jojua in her Octagon debut at UFC 254.The 23-year-old went 6-2 in Invicta FC prior to signing with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Maurice Greene will meet Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a heavyweight scrap at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on May 8.

MMAjunkie.com was first to report the pairing. The card includes a women’s bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Julianna Pena and a welterweight clash pitting Donald Cerrone against Diego Sanchez. A location has not been formally announced.

Greene has lost three of his last four promotional outings. Most recently, the 34-year-old Jackson-Wink MMA representative suffered a second-round TKO defeat to Greg Hardy at UFC Fight Night 181 last October.

De Lima has alternated wins and losses in his last 10 UFC appearances dating back to December 2014. The 35-year-old Brazilian went 1-1 in 2020, earning a first-round TKO against Ben Sosolli at UFC Fight Night 168 before being submitted by Alexander Romanov at UFC on ESPN 17.

A middleweight showdown pitting Sean Strickland against Krzysztof Jotko has been added to the UFC’s May 1 lineup.

Paradigm Sports, which represents Strickland, initially announced the pairing on social media. UFC Fight Night is headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka. A location for the card has not been confirmed.

After injuries from a motorcycle accident sidelined Strickland for two years, “Tarzan” returned to earn Sherdog.com’s "Comeback Fighter of the Year" honors with a 2020 campaign that featured victories over Jack Marshman and Brendan Allen. The 29-year-old Californian is 9-3 during a promotional tenure that has occurred primarily at 170 pounds.

Poland’s Jotko has rebounded from a three-bout losing streak that ran from 2017 to 2018 to post successive triumphs over Alen Amedovski, Marc-Andre Barriault and Eryk Anders in his last three Octagon appearances. The 31-year-old American Top Team representative is 9-4 in …

Patricky Freire, the older brother of the Bellator double champion Patricio Freire, is anxiously awaiting a decision from the organization concerning his next challenge.

"My brother is fighting in the featherweight grand prix and already said that he has no intention of remaining in the lightweight division,” Freire told Sherdog.com. “Everybody knows that he just went up to beat Michael Chandler. He already declared that he would vacate the title if I were to get a shot. Brent Primus already agreed to fight for the title against me, I dont know why Bellator is taking so long to announce that. I´m anxious to start my camp.”

Freire hasn’t fought since December 2019, when he lost a decision to Tofiq Musayev in the finals of the Rizin lightweight grand prix. Prior to that, the 35-year-old had been on a seven-bout winning streak dating back to 2017. Even without his next Bellator bout scheduled, Patricky is helping his brother prepare to face Emmanuel Sanchez in the s…